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Prince William supervisors approve 2nd mid-county data center project
Prince William County’s data center alley is likely to stretch into Prince William County’s mid-section in the coming years as a result of the board of supervisors’ vote Tuesday to approve the controversial Mid-County Industrial Park. In a 5-3 vote, the supervisors voted to approve a rezoning that would allow three 90- and 95-foot-tall data centers on about 64 acres just north of the intersection of Va. 234 and Minnieville Road. It will be the second planned data center complex in the mid-county area. The first, on land formerly owned by Parson’s Farm, recently sold to Amazon for $218 million or $2.4 million an acre.
Spotsylvania School Board votes to record closed sessions following assault allegation
After a contentious closed session meeting on May 20 resulted in one Spotsylvania County School Board member filing assault and battery charges against another, the board voted 6-0 Monday to record future gatherings that are not open to the public. April Gillespie of the Berkeley District abstained, stating that she agrees with recording closed sessions but needs more information from school board attorney Micah Schwartz before voting. Carol Medawar of the Courtland District made the motion, which was seconded by Lee Hill District representative Lisa Phelps. It was Phelps who filed an assault and battery charge on Nicole Cole of the Battlefield District, alleging that Cole slammed a door into her shoulder and extended her leg to trip her during the May 20 meeting.
One Missing Middle lawsuit dismissed, but Arlington County’s legal fees still mounting
The first Missing Middle case to be heard in Arlington Circuit Court was dismissed last week, but legal fees in another lawsuit against the county continue to balloon. The dismissed lawsuit related to a pair of planned six-plexes in Alcova Heights, approved after the Expanded Housing Option changes. A judge struck the suit down on Friday “due to technical defects,” Zachary Williams, an attorney for developer Classic Cottages, told ARLnow. … This news comes as attorney fees from a more expansive lawsuit against EHO have mushroomed in recent months.
Study: Va. Living Shorelines Boost Recreational Fishing Economic Impact
Virginia’s legislation that made living shorelines the default option for erosion control (versus bulkheads or riprap) was met with some skepticism back in 2020. But a new study shows a benefit beyond wetlands conservation: these shorelines are generating local and state revenue through the recreational angler industry. Tidal marshes and living shorelines along Virginia’s Middle Peninsula produce more than $6.4 million in economic value each year from recreational anglers, according to a study by a team of researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The study, published recently in Ocean & Coastal Management, is the first to assign an economic value to an ecological benefit of living shorelines.
Roanoke Democratic official: Former candidate’s paperwork at issue
After Jamaal Jackson announced he was withdrawing as a Roanoke City Council candidate Monday, city Democratic Committee officials later said his paperwork has been turned over to the commonwealth attorney’s office. Jackson announced his withdrawal in an email early Monday, and did not respond to further inquiries about why. Later that night, Roanoke City Democratic Committee Chair Mark Lazar sent an email to news outlets after 8 p.m. “Recently, the Roanoke City Democratic Committee received a complaint regarding ballot access petitions for Jamaal Jackson,” Lazar said.