Amazon cedes 122-acre Loudoun site to build homes and community facilities

Amazon has dropped plans to build four new data centers on a 122-acre site in Loudoun County, Virginia. The company will convert most of the former George Washington University campus into mixed-use and residential housing. This shift follows months of local resistance to the proposed facilities.

The agreement includes specific financial and land transfers to the county. Amazon will donate 25 acres of the property for a community arts center and a new recreational facility. The company will also contribute $5 million to the county's housing fund.

Loudoun County is known as Data Center Alley due to its high density of such facilities. Residents have voiced concerns about the noise and electricity consumption associated with these sites. The county's posture toward new construction has shifted in recent months, prompting the change in plans.

Amazon filed its original proposal in July. In September, the company met with Phyllis J. Randall, chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. Randall suggested the company find another use for the land rather than proceed with the data center buildout.

Josh Weissman, Amazon's vice president for data center development, acknowledged the local objections. He stated that while Amazon saw the property's legal development potential differently, the company chose a shared vision over costly litigation. Weissman noted the firm had moved quickly to buy the campus when the opportunity arose.

The reversal occurs amid a surge in demand for data centers to support artificial intelligence and cloud services. This growth has strained local resources, including water and electricity grids. President Donald Trump recently called for data center builders to pay local communities a dividend and generate their own power.

Randall described the outcome as a product of cooperation between the county and the company. She said the agreement provides new gathering spaces for residents and more attainable homes for working families.