Virginia’s Loudoun County Board of Supervisors announced that Amazon will not move forward with plans for a new data center in the county after the community pushed back against the development.
The announcement comes as activism against data center development has become widespread across the United States, with constituents raising concerns that artificial intelligence computing infrastructure is draining their local water and energy resources. Loudoun County, home to the highest concentration of data centers in the world, has been at the center of much of this pushback, with county officials voting to place a one-year moratorium on new developments in September.
Amazon Web Services acquired a 120-acre lot from George Washington University’s Science and Technology Campus in Loudoun for a planned data center back in March.
Loudoun’s Board Chair Phyllis Randall announced that Amazon agreed on Tuesday to not develop a data center at the facility, and instead dedicated 25 acres of the plot to the county for a community arts center and indoor sports and recreation facility. The remainder of the acreage would be used for “mixed use and needed residential uses, including attainable and market rate housing,” Randall said.
“Through our collaborative conversations, Amazon has agreed to withdraw its proposed application and – of note – forego any legal action to realize data center development on this site,” Randall announced in a Facebook post.
Josh Weissman, Amazon Web Services’ vice president of data center delivery, said in a statement that Amazon “deeply values” its relationship with Loudoun County, where thousands of its employees also live. He said George Washington University had approached Amazon Web Services about the property they ultimately shook on, but that “as we heard the community’s pointed concerns about data center development at this particular site, we took them seriously.”
“While we see the property’s legal development potential differently than the County does, we concluded that the best outcome for all is to come together on a shared vision for this campus rather than engage in costly litigation. This agreement reflects that choice,” Weissman said.
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The 25 acres dedicated to Loudoun as part of the deal are valued at $65 million, according to Randall. Weissman also announced a $5,000,000 contribution from Amazon Web Services to the Loudoun County Housing Fund to support affordable housing. The deal between the county and the technology giant is called “Project Potomac Promise.”
The county pushed back its final scheduled vote on the one-year data center moratorium resolution from October and is now set to vote on the measure in its Nov. 17 board meeting.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
