BlackOwned
← Data Center Research & Watch

Data Center Watch Report · ZIP 20785

Landover

Prince George's

ProposedZIP 70.1% Blackpop 40,946

Proposed (planning-board approved 2024; paused by County Executive order Sept 2025)

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (1 resident report, 2026-05-19) · ZIP demographics: 70.1% Black, pop 40,946 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Prince George's (majority-Black) Status: Proposed (planning-board approved 2024; paused by County Executive order Sept 2025)

This report is research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice.

0. Snapshot

Local developer Lerner Enterprises wants to build "Brightseat Tech Park," a ~$5 billion hyperscale data center campus on the ~87-acre site of the demolished Landover Mall, just off the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County. As proposed: five buildings, ~4.1 million sq ft, up to ~820 MW. The county planning board approved a project at the site in March 2024, but County Executive Aisha Braveboy issued an executive order in September 2025 pausing data-center development and creating a study task force. A resident petition (started by Taylor Frazier McCollum) has drawn 22,500+ signatures, and residents have rallied repeatedly. Prince George's is a majority-Black county and ZIP 20785 is 70.1% Black — opponents frame this as a "fight for the soul" of a mostly-Black county.

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

  • Developer: Lerner Enterprises (owns the land).
  • Project: "Brightseat Tech Park" — hyperscale campus.
  • Location: Former Landover Mall site, ~87 acres, just off the Beltway (I-495), Landover, ZIP 20785.
  • Scale: ~5 facilities, ~4.1M sq ft, up to ~820 MW (per Sage Policy Group economic analysis figures reported in local press).
  • Status: Planning-board approval (2024) but paused by the County Executive's Sept 2025 executive order; not under construction as of 2026-08-02.
  • The border: The site sits in a majority-Black ZIP within a majority-Black county in the DC suburbs (Data Center Alley is across the Potomac in Loudoun County, VA — this is a separate Maryland project; do not conflate with the "Quantum Loophole"/Frederick County developments elsewhere in Maryland).

2. Public Hearings & Notices

  • March 2024: Prince George's County planning board approved a project at the Landover Mall site (Lerner).
  • Sept 2025: County Executive Aisha Braveboy executive order pausing data-center development and creating a task force to study risks, benefits, and revenue. Note: the task force "has no authority" over this specific already-approved project — it develops recommendations for future regulation.
  • Sept 2025: Residents rallied against the project (WTOP, Fox 5 DC).
  • Council Member Wala Blegay (task force member) planned to introduce moratorium legislation. Council Member Shayla Adams-Stafford (District 5, includes the site) publicly opposed. Check the county's Qualified Data Centers page and council legislation for current status: https://pgplanning.org/projects/qualified-data-centers/
  • Upcoming hearing dates/case numbers: Verify current as of 2026-08-02 via the Planning Department and County Council.

3. Power

  • Serving utility: Pepco (Potomac Electric Power Co.), within the PJM Interconnection region. Up to ~820 MW would require major transmission/substation upgrades.
  • State oversight: Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) oversees utility and large-load matters; Maryland has statewide debate over who pays for data-center grid costs. Specific Maryland PSC docket for this site not found as of 2026-08-02.
  • Substation/transmission specifics: Not found as of 2026-08-02 — ask Pepco and check the PSC.

4. Water & Drought

5. Population & Who Lives Here

  • ZIP 20785: 70.1% Black, population 40,946 (Census ACS 2023), inside majority-Black Prince George's County — one of the wealthiest majority-Black counties in the U.S., but the Landover corridor includes lower-income areas.
  • Opponents warn of light, thermal, and air pollution and falling property values in surrounding neighborhoods.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

  • An economic analysis by Sage Policy Group (commissioned by the MD Tech Council) claimed the project could generate ~$1 billion in economic activity. Treat as a proponent-commissioned estimate.
  • County leaders are pursuing data centers for tax revenue. Specific abatement/PILOT terms and permanent job counts: Not found as of 2026-08-02 — request from the county's economic development office.

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

  • The Baltimore Banner — "Data centers spark 'fight for the soul' of a mostly Black MD county."
  • WTOP, Fox 5 DC — rallies at the Landover Mall site.
  • AFRO American Newspapers, Washington Informer, Prince George's Suite (pgsuite.com), The Daily Record, The Diamondback (dbknews) — local coverage.
  • Petition: Taylor Frazier McCollum's petition, 22,500+ signatures.
  • Organized, sustained opposition; a possible moratorium bill in the pipeline.

8. Find Out For Yourself

Prince George's County Council

County agencies

Questions to ask:

  1. Exactly how many MW, and who pays for the Pepco transmission/substation upgrades?
  2. What is the cooling method and daily water draw, and what does WSSC say about capacity?
  3. What tax abatement/incentives would Lerner get, and what is the county's net revenue after infrastructure costs?
  4. How many permanent jobs, at what pay?
  5. Does the 2024 planning approval still stand despite the executive-order pause, and what would restart it?
  6. What binding conditions exist on noise, light, air emissions, and setbacks from homes?

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

This is a very large hyperscale proposal on a former mall site in a majority-Black ZIP, currently paused by the County Executive and facing organized opposition and a possible moratorium — so its future is genuinely uncertain. Realistic considerations if it proceeds: up to ~820 MW of new power demand and associated transmission, potential noise/light/thermal impacts, and disputed effects on nearby property values. Countervailing: strong political scrutiny and a study task force. Unresolved as of 2026-08-02: whether the 2024 approval survives the pause, the power and water specifics, incentives, and permanent jobs. Verify current status with Council District 5 and the Planning Department before deciding.

10. Sources

Lead source: resident reports on the Brockovich AI Data Center community map, then independently verified against public records. Research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice. Some resident-reported pins remain uncorroborated and are labeled as such above.