Site is one of several in Virginia facing irreparable harm to historic,
natural and cultural resources due to unchecked data center
development
ORANGE
COUNTY, Va., May 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Wilderness Battlefield, site of a pivotal clash
that marked a turning point in the Civil War, was named one of the
nation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places due to the threat
of a massive data center development that would irrevocably destroy
the historic landscapes fundamental to maintaining the area as
a vital educational resource and treasured hallowed
ground.
Wilderness Battlefield anchors Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Battlefields
National Military Park in Orange County,
Va., welcoming 500,000 heritage tourists and outdoor
recreation enthusiasts a year to its forested trails. In making the
designation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP)
noted only a fraction of the historically significant battlefield
landscape is federally protected, leaving it vulnerable to the
impact of rampant development. Of particular concern is the recent
rezoning of adjacent rural land for the Wilderness Crossing
project, an unprecedented local expansion of residential,
commercial and industrial development, as well as millions of
square feet of data centers and their associated noise
pollution and transmission lines.
A broad coalition has formed to build legal and public pressure
on Orange County officials to
reconsider and educate the public on what is at stake. Partners in
the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition include the American
Battlefield Trust, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, Cedar
Mountain Battlefield Foundation, Coalition to Protect America's
National Parks, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Historic
Germanna, Journey Through Hallowed Ground, National Parks
Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation,
Piedmont Environmental Council and Preservation Virginia.
"We simply cannot allow this potentially catastrophic impact to
occur when better planning and thoughtful consideration could
preserve such a vital and irreplaceable historic site," said
David Duncan, president of the
American Battlefield Trust, which along with Central Virginia
Battlefields Trust, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and
neighboring landowners, have filed a lawsuit challenging the
rezoning. "We are not against development and know progress and
preservation need not be mutually exclusive. We are grateful to the
National Trust for drawing attention to the danger."
"The threat of Wilderness Crossing ripples region-wide and
statewide, as it is likely to draw yet more electrical generation
and transmission infrastructure to the Piedmont area, particularly
the historic-site-rich Route 3 corridor," said Piedmont
Environmental Council President Chris
Miller. "This designation for the Wilderness
Battlefield Area epitomizes the threats to historic, scenic
and cultural resources that result from the proliferation of data
centers and associated energy infrastructure."
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought May 5-7, 1864, and marked the first stage of a
major Union offensive toward the Confederate capital of
Richmond ordered by the newly
named Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S.
Grant. Despite his army suffering horrific casualties —
nearly 18,000 soldiers killed, wounded or captured in 48 hours —
Grant wrote to President Lincoln, "I intend to fight it out on this
line if it takes all summer."
"In response, Lincoln told
Grant, 'Hold on with a bulldog's grip,' and that is precisely the
spirit we carry today. The preservation and conservation community
remains resolute in our fight to protect the historic
landscapes of the Wilderness," said Bill
Sellers, president of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground
National Heritage Area, which spearheaded the competitive
application process.
The Wilderness Battlefield is one of several historic sites
imperiled by the unchecked explosion of data center
development in Virginia, where the
concentration of data centers is three times denser than anywhere
else in the world. Another proposal adjacent to Manassas National
Battlefield Park would convert more than 2,100 acres of
farmland into a corridor of 40 data centers, the largest such
complex on the planet. Further projects poised to mar historic
landscapes are advancing in Caroline, Culpeper, Henrico, Prince
William and Surry Counties.
The fate of such projects is committed to local officials, as
there currently exists no federal or state oversight on the
siting and building of these mega warehouses, even when such a
facility would jeopardize cultural, natural or historic resources
of national significance.
"The explosion of data center development across the
Commonwealth is a grave concern for the preservation and public
history community," said Elizabeth
Kostelny, chief executive officer of Preservation Virginia.
"We have spent years sounding the alarm on this broadly impactful
issue and are grateful for the 11 Most designation that will
highlight it on the national stage."
At the Wilderness, some protected lands, including many areas
witnessing the most intense combat, are administered by the
National Park Service, while the American Battlefield Trust,
Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, the Friends of Wilderness
Battlefield and the Commonwealth of Virginia also own or steward additional
portions of the battlefield. Even these holdings do not cover the
full extent of the historic landscape and large areas once used for
encampments, entrenchments, hospitals, burial sites, military
headquarters and troop movements remain privately owned and
vulnerable to development.
In a single vote last April, the Orange County Board of Supervisors rezoned
more than 2,600 acres for the massive Wilderness Crossing
development at the gateway to the battlefield and partly inside its
footprint. This includes by-right entitlement to blanket 732 acres
in data centers without any cap on density, a 5-million-square-foot
ceiling having been removed at the last minute. The project will
also include 500,000 square feet of commercial development and
industrial zones, plus 5,000 new dwelling units, which would have
an overwhelming impact in a rural county of only 16,000 households.
Moreover, proceeding with this massive, unchecked development will
almost certainly necessitate the implementation of the Virginia
Department of Transportation's long-stagnant proposal of a major
realignment of Route 20 through the historic landscape.
Three of the partners in the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition
(American Battlefield Trust, Central Virginia
Battlefields Trust and Friends of Wilderness Battlefield) have
filed a lawsuit over the April 2023
rezoning, citing multiple failures to comply with county ordinances
and Virginia law and lack of
consideration of the impact on historic, natural or cultural
resources. A second successful lawsuit filed by the Piedmont
Environmental Council showed county officials violated the state's
Freedom of Information Act with non-disclosure agreements, redacted
communications and other documents related to dealings with Amazon
on the project.
"We recognize the need for development and the role data centers
play in our everyday lives. But this does not need to come at the
expense of historic resources," said Central Virginia Battlefields
Trust President Tom Van Winkle.
There is precedent for reconsideration of data centers.
Recently, facing strong public opposition, an approved Amazon data
center development in King George
County was renegotiated by the Board of Supervisors.
This is the second time the Wilderness Battlefield has been
named to the 11 Most Endangered List. In 2010, it faced a different
threat: construction of a Walmart Superstore. Ultimately, a
win-win solution was found, with Walmart building at a different
site several miles away and donating the original site to the
Commonwealth of Virginia. In the
aftermath, stakeholders — including the owners of the land now
proposed for development — created the Wilderness Battlefield
Gateway Plan outlining a compatible development vision for the
area. It was a model for community engagement and collaborative
planning, with elements of the plan officially adopted by the
County. However, both the process and recommendations were largely
ignored by the County this time around.
The inclusion on the current list was announced immediately
before the 160th anniversary commemoration of the battle.
Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has
produced its list of 11 places in grave danger of destruction or
irreparable harm. During that time, the Trust has identified more
than 350 sites, and its efforts have helped galvanize support to
protect nearly all of them.
Photos are available for download via Dropbox.
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SOURCE Wilderness Battlefield Coalition