WINERY, BREWERY MAP, nearly 40 local spots included, special section pages 15-18
April 18, 2024 | Vol. 23, No. 16 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $2.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
In lawsuit limbo, Digital Gateway landowners face high tax bills They expected to make millions but must pay while they wait By Peter Cary
Piedmont Journalism Foundation
TIMES STAFF PHOTO
House assessed at $100: Million-dollar homes in the Dominique Estates subdivision are now assessed at $100 because they are part of the Digital Gateway data center corridor. The new assessments have sparked controversy among landowners and critics alike.
It seemed like a great deal when residents of rural northwest Prince William County signed contracts in 2021 to sell their properties for a new data center alley known as the “Prince William Digital Gateway.” With contracts to sell for up to $900,000 an acre, they expected to split their real estate tax bills with their data center buyers upon sale and walk away with big profits.
Now, however, that sweet dream has turned into a nightmare — at least, a tax nightmare. The supervisors rezoned the land for data centers, but two lawsuits have blocked the land sales, leaving landowners in limbo. Meanwhile, the land is now considered much more valuable and, therefore, their taxes due have spiked dramatically. The result has been anger, frustration and finger-pointing, with a solid dose of schadenfreude thrown in from their anti-Digital Gateway neighbors. But it could have been worse. After hearing from property owners and See LAWSUIT, page 4
Local wineries look to broaden appeal New strategies seek niches, focus on fun as sales decline By Dayna Smith
Contributing Writer
Chris Pearmund owns three wineries and has been in the business in Northern Virginia for more than 30 years. The big change he’s seen over the last decade isn’t a good one. Put simply, fewer people are drinking wine, which means it’s harder to make a winery profitable. “In the last 10 years, we were doing $80 to $90 per transaction, and now, we are doing $30 to $40,” he said. “For 20 years, we went up in gross revenue, and I think I am doing better than most.” It’s a national trend. Americans in their 20s and 30s are a tough market for wine sellers. Those under age 50 are drinking across categories — beer, hard ciders, seltzers – but definitely less wine. Only among those 65 and older has wine consumption risen. And that is posing an existential question for Virginia’s wine industry — how to appeal to millennials, and those younger, in a significantly changing market. See WINERIES, page 18
PHOTO BY DAYNA SMITH
Melissa and Sebastian Freeman, of Annandale, taste wine at Effingham Manor and Winery in Nokesvile in January.
SPORTS: Undefeated Colgan girls soccer squad outscoring opponents 31-1. PAGES 23, 24
Details on the proposed ‘Prince William Sports and Event Center,’ page 5
88 DULLES, VA
Heard about The JAM? It’s our brand new daily newsletter - your news in Just A Minute. Visit princewilliamtimes.com/newsletters to sign up!
Scan below to check out The JAM