The preservation community has been eagerly awaiting word of progress in the legal challenges to two gargantuan rezoning proposals that would allow for massive data center development impacting the Wilderness and Second Manassas battlefields. The Trust is a plaintiff in lawsuits filed against Prince William and Orange Counties, over the deeply flawed governmental approvals that allowed such inappropriate projects to move forward.
I’m writing today, with an update on the situation at the Manassas Battlefield: We have a court date of October 31 for a preliminary hearing that will determine whether the case will proceed to trial.
Back in January 2024 we launched this legal challenge because we were confident that there were substantial failures in Prince William County’s handling of the rezoning application for the Prince William Digital Gateway. If built, it would be the largest data center complex on the planet and have horrific impacts on the Second Manassas Battlefield. Because the Trust owns land immediately adjacent to the project area, we stand to be uniquely harmed by the development, giving us the legal standing to sue, alongside several private citizen plaintiffs.
Late last week, with that critical hearing approaching, the reinforcements arrived!
On Thursday, October 3, 2024, six leading national, state and regional conservation organizations committed to the preservation of National Parks and historic resources filed an amicus curiae brief in the case, urging the judge to see it proceed to trial, in the face of the county’s motion to dismiss.
It was filed by the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, Piedmont Environmental Council, National Parks Conservation Association, Preservation Virginia, National Trust for Historic Preservation and Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. The six groups, although not plaintiffs themselves — remember: the Trust has unique standing as a neighboring landowner — voice full-throated support that the historic preservation case to overturn the December 2023 rezoning should be heard at trial.
We’re very grateful for this support from our allies because, while the Trust is helping lead the legal charge, we are certainly not alone in our convictions that this wholly inappropriate development would have catastrophic impacts on the battlefield.
Engaging in these complex legal cases requires a significant investment in our time and resources, including specialized legal counsel. If you value grassroots efforts like these lawsuits, please consider making a gift to directly support the Trust’s advocacy work.
Cordially,
Jim Campi, Chief Policy & Communications Officer
American Battlefield Trust