A developer wants to put a data center on the site of a known cemetery in Northern Virginia where headstones date to the 1700s.
No one is sure just how many unmarked graves are at the site in Stafford County.
“There are four marked gravesites with headstones that are in various stages of disrepair, and then there’s another adjacent area with unmarked gravestones that are likely to be of enslaved individuals from back at that time,” said Mike Zuraf of the Stafford County Planning and Zoning Department.
The developer presented its proposal to the county board, and it didn’t sit well with some supervisors, who grilled the project applicant.
“How would you feel if it was your ancestors or relatives back then and you knew it was a big data center coming in or whatever, would you want them to uproot your ancestors like that?” asked Supervisor Darrell English.
Residents weren’t happy, either.
“I have a problem with the cemeteries being disturbed, particularly enslaved people’s remains being disinterred, disrupted, disturbed, dug up and dispatched,” one said. “All the while, we’re allowing corporations to erase who and what we are here.”
“I think enough is enough with these data centers,” another said. “Just say no to this.”
The Board of Supervisors deferred action to give the developer time to investigate and survey the land to determine where all the dead are buried.
“It’s hallowed ground, and I would assume white folk feel that way, too,” Supervisor Maya Guy said. “So, I need a full investigation of it or I can’t support it, and I’m not anti-development, anti-data center. I want y’all’s money, OK?”
The board will take up the matter again in two months, but there’s also state law guiding the process.
“You couldn’t develop just over top of a cemetery,” Zuraf said. “That’s just not allowed.”
The courts could ultimately decide the fate of the dead. If the county chooses to move forward, a judge would decide whether or not the grave sites are relocated or whether they are left in place in which case, data centers could be built right next to them.
Stafford County has one data center online. Five projects have been approved, and there are 12 more applications that are pending.
News4 reached out to the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, who says he and the other board members were unavailable for interviews as they’re on summer recess. The board reconvenes in two months and will take up the issue again at that time.
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