Amazon wants to transform Virginia site into massive data center
Amazon has proposed an 800,000-square-foot data center on the GW's Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Loudoun County. The proposal is facing strong opposition from a Loudoun County supervisor who is concerned about its impact on housing and existing zoning guidelines. The supervisor plans to hold a town hall and is exploring a data center moratorium for the county.
Amazon has put forward a proposal to develop an 800,000-square-foot data center, equivalent to 14 football fields, on the George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Loudoun County.
This plan has met significant pushback from Loudoun County Supervisor Julie Briskman. She argues that the proposed site is highly inappropriate for a data center, especially given that up to 1,000 new housing units are expected to become available in the vicinity within the next year or two. Briskman highlighted that the project's location might allow Amazon to proceed with development "by right" under different zoning guidelines, potentially bypassing public comment periods.
In response, Supervisor Briskman intends to host her own town hall to provide a public forum for residents to voice their concerns. Additionally, she has formally requested Loudoun County staff to investigate the possibility of enacting a data center moratorium, citing that the county already hosts over 200 data centers.