Winchester Gateway data center campus (Kernstown)
Winchester Gateway LLC asked for a permit for three 60-foot data center buildings and a substation on about 72 acres at Apple Valley and Middle roads, next to Route 37 south of Winchester. It promised to cap water use at 35,000 gallons a day. Neighbors and the county's historic board opposed it. The county is also weighing a ban on new data centers.
Where things stand: Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial on September 2, 2026. A local headline says the permit request was pulled before the September 23 board hearing; we could not confirm it.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 2, 2026): Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the permit.
What we know
- 📍 WhereApple Valley and Middle roads, along Route 37, Kernstown, Frederick County, Frederick County
- 🏢 CompanyWinchester Gateway LLC
- 🌳 Size72 acres
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Was the application withdrawn before the September 23, 2026 hearing? 🙋 I'll find out
- Did the county ban new data centers? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Sept 2, 2026Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the permit.
Local votes and rules
🚫 Ban
On July 8, 2026 supervisors voted unanimously to draft a change that removes data centers from every zoning district, which would make Frederick the first Virginia county to do so. The planning commission recommended it and a supervisors' public hearing was set for September 23, 2026. We could not confirm the final vote.
✋ Turned down
The county planning commission unanimously recommended denial of the Virginia Technology Park, a 220-acre data center site near I-81 Exit 323. The applicant asked to postpone the case indefinitely.
✋ Turned down
The county planning commission unanimously recommended denial of a conditional use permit for Winchester Gateway, a 72-acre data center campus near Route 37. Concerns included power lines, building height, screening and views from Kernstown Battlefield. A supervisors' hearing was set for September 23, 2026; the outcome is not confirmed.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Frederick County Planning Commission recommends denial of Winchester Gateway data center · Northern Virginia Daily · Sept 3, 2026
- Frederick supervisors to consider countywide ban of data centers · Virginia Business · July 14, 2026
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