Amazon agrees to withdraw data center construction plans on GW’s Virginia campus following backlash
Amazon agreed to withdraw plans for an 800,000-square-foot data center at George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn after opposition from Loudoun County officials, residents and students. Under the agreement, Amazon will donate 25 acres for community facilities and support mixed-use and residential development, while the county considers rezoning the remaining property to prohibit data centers.
Amazon has abandoned plans to build an 800,000-square-foot data center at George Washington University’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn following months of opposition. Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall and Amazon Web Services Vice President for Data Center Delivery Josh Weissman announced the agreement, called Project Potomac Promise, under which Amazon will not pursue the project or legal action to advance it.
Amazon will donate 25 acres valued at $65 million to Loudoun County for a community arts center and indoor sports facility, contribute $5 million to the county’s Housing Fund and support mixed-use and residential development on the remaining property. The deal follows concerns about traffic, noise, pollution and natural-resource consumption, as well as a petition urging a data center construction moratorium. County officials also postponed consideration of a proposed temporary pause on new data center projects until a November meeting.