The last company defending a contested Northern Virginia data center development is abandoning its appeal in a drawn-out lawsuit, effectively killing the long debated project. 

Before QTS Data Centers dropped the appeal, the case was headed to the Virginia Supreme court after more than two years of litigation. Advocates fighting the project sued over county officials not properly following procedures to notify locals about public zoning hearings.

“The company will proceed with a responsible and orderly termination of project activities.”

QTS Data Centers

Known as Digital Gateway, the campus was planned as a 2,000-acre cluster of 37 data centers. The site’s proposed location, in the middle of the concentrated region referred to as Data Center Alley, abuts a historical battlefield and a state forest.

Earlier this spring, the other two defendants in the lawsuit — Digital Gateway developer Compass, which is headquartered in Texas, and Prince William County, the local jurisdiction — both dropped out, leaving QTS on its own. 

Plaintiff American Battlefield Trust praised the move. 

“Our decision to fight an enormous and inappropriate data center project threatening one of America’s most hallowed historic places has been completely vindicated,” said American Battlefield Trust president David Duncan in a press release. “I am grateful for the stalwart determination of all who stood with us to ensure these deep-pocketed data center developers did not succeed with their plans.”

QTS is headquartered in Virginia and has invested $5 billion in development in the central part of the state, per the company’s withdrawal filing.  

“We deeply appreciate the relationships we’ve built with community stakeholders throughout this process and remain grateful for the collaboration and dialogue that have shaped our engagement,” the notice reads. “The company will proceed with a responsible and orderly termination of project activities, consistent with our commitments and values as a company and community partner.”

QTS declined to comment beyond the public filing, including about other investments in the state. 

This decision comes as community concerns about data centers are growing across the US. Seventy percent of Americans say they oppose constructing them where they live, per a recent Gallup poll. Data centers route the world’s internet traffic and power digital commerce around the globe, with Northern Virginia facilities handling an estimated 13%,. More than 1,500 new data centers are in various stages of planning and development across the US.