Amazon has abandoned plans to build four data centers on a former George Washington University campus in Ashburn, Virginia, following discussions with local officials and community members. Instead of pursuing the $427 million project, the company has agreed to donate about 25 acres of the property for community facilities and contribute $5 million toward affordable housing in Loudoun County.
The agreement, dubbed “Project Potomac Promise” by Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, requires Amazon to withdraw its data center development application and drop legal action seeking approval for the project. The company will also work with the county to rezone the remaining property for mixed-use development.
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The decision marks a shift in Amazon’s plans for the 120-acre site at George Washington University’s Science and Technology Campus, where the company had proposed building four data center facilities. The agreement creates an opportunity to explore other uses for the property, including housing and community infrastructure.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Amazon Web Services data center delivery Vice President Joshua Weissman, Randall said the county’s priority had been to prevent the property from being used for data centers or related infrastructure.
“My goal was to disallow data centers or infrastructure that could support data centers on this property. Through our collaborative, respectful conversations, Amazon has agreed to forego its proposed application for data centers, and of note, forego any legal action to realize data center development on this site,” Randall said, according to Fortune.
The proposed development had faced opposition from local leaders who argued that replacing a university campus with large data center buildings would limit the site’s potential to support education, housing and other economic opportunities.
In a press release, Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman criticized the proposal, saying the campus offered a rare opportunity to pursue development that would directly benefit residents.
“Replacing the George Washington University campus with four massive data center buildings would be a profound loss for our community,” Briskman said. “The site offers a generational opportunity for education, research, housing, and other forms of economic development that could directly benefit Loudoun residents. I strongly oppose this proposal and will fight it every step of the way.”
The property changed hands earlier this year after George Washington University announced its sale in February. University President Ellen Granberg did not identify the buyer or disclose the sale price at the time, saying the transaction would support the institution’s long-term financial health. In March, the university’s student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, reported that Amazon Data Services had acquired the campus for $427 million.
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Amazon’s decision to abandon the data center proposal followed negotiations with county officials rather than a stated rejection of the company’s broader data center strategy.
“There was not a moment where it was decided that this was a bad idea,” Weissman said. “We just heard from the community. We partnered with Loudoun, and we just decided this was just the right thing to do.”
The agreement leaves the door open for a different future for the former university property, with Amazon committing land and funding toward community needs instead of moving forward with the four-building data center project.