CONFIRMED: DATA CENTERS HEADED TO SOUTH COUNTY
A Reliable Source Says the Administration Has Already Chosen District 9
A reliable source with direct knowledge of internal discussions in Prince George’s County government has confirmed what many residents suspected — the administration is quietly steering data centers into the rural agricultural zones of South County, even as the County Executive publicly extends her “pause” on data center approvals until April 2026.
The source, who remains deeply connected to county government despite no longer serving in it, says the administration has already concluded that the Landover Mall site is unworkable. That leaves only one place in the county that meets the legal requirements: District 9.
And the law itself makes that unavoidable.
THE LAW THAT FUNNELS EVERYTHING SOUTH
The bill governing data center placement is brutally simple:
- AR Zone: Minimum 75 acres
- RE Zone: Minimum 50 acres
- RR Zone: Minimum 25 acres
- 300 feet from any residential use
Those zones — and those acreages — exist almost exclusively in District 9, the county’s most rural, least dense, and most geographically flexible region.
This isn’t interpretation.
This isn’t speculation.
This is the text of the law.
If a data center is coming to Prince George’s County, the law itself pushes it south.
THE PLANNING DIRECTOR’S QUIET MAP REWRITE
While the County Executive publicly insists she is “not supporting data centers until a proper study is done,” her own planning director — who reports directly to her — has been expanding the list of places where data centers are prohibited.
Every new restriction in the north and central parts of the county has the same effect:
It forces the project into the rural zones.
The administration can claim neutrality.
The map tells the truth.
And the map is being redrawn in real time.
THE VIDEO THAT GIVES THE GAME AWAY (see above)
In a recent public meeting — captured on video and widely circulated — planning officials acknowledged that the only viable parcels under the new law are in the rural south.
They didn’t say it with enthusiasm.
They didn’t say it loudly.
But they said it.
And the bill in front of you confirms it.
THE SOURCE: “THEY CAN’T PUT IT AT LANDOVER. THEY HAVE TO PUT IT HERE.”
According to the reliable source, internal conversations have already moved past the question of whether District 9 will host a data center.
The question now is where in District 9.
The source says:
- Landover Mall is off the table
- The administration knows it
- Staff knows it
- Developers know it
- And the only remaining acreage that meets the legal thresholds is in the south
The source also says that people inside and outside the administration are openly discussing District 9 as the landing zone.
This is not rumor.
This is not wishful thinking.
This is the internal consensus.
WHY DISTRICT 9 IS THE TARGET
District 9 is:
- The largest district
- The least dense
- The most rural
- The easiest place to hide a 75‑acre industrial facility
- The only district with multiple parcels that meet the acreage minimums
There are farms with 300‑foot buffers.
There are wooded tracts with no neighbors.
There are open fields where a data center could sit behind a tree line and barely be noticed.
Politically, it is the path of least resistance.
Legally, it is the only path left.
THE ADMINISTRATION’S PUBLIC POSITION VS. PRIVATE REALITY
Publicly, the County Executive is extending her moratorium.
Privately, her planning director is narrowing the map.
Publicly, she says she wants more study.
Privately, staff are preparing the only viable sites.
This is the classic Prince George’s County two‑step:
1. Delay publicly
2. Decide privately
3. Deliver the result as if it were inevitable
And in this case, it is inevitable — because the law makes it so.
THE TAKEAWAY FOR MARYLAND WIRE READERS
A reliable, well‑connected source has confirmed what the zoning map already tells us:
Data centers are coming to Prince George’s County.
And they are coming to District 9.
The administration can extend pauses.
They can promise studies.
They can claim neutrality.
But the law they passed funnels the project south.
The planning director’s actions reinforce it.
The internal chatter confirms it.
And the video shows it.
They are also putting one in Lusby, despite public objections. The Calvert county commissioners signed an NDA and can’t talk about it.