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Amazon Abandons Data Center Development on GWU Campus
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Amazon Abandons Data Center Development on GWU Campus
Amazon Web Services has withdrawn a February-filed site plan for a “Bridgefield Tech Center” that would have added four two-story data-center buildings—over 800,000 sq ft—in total—to the former George Washington University (GWU) campus in Loudoun County, Virginia. Instead, the company will donate roughly 25 acres of the property to the county for community facilities and contribute $5 million to the Loudoun County Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The agreement, called “Project Potomac Promise,” also requires Amazon to abandon any legal action to pursue data-center construction on the site.
Historical Context of Loudoun County’s Data-Center Concentration
Loudoun County, often dubbed “data-center alley,” hosts the world’s highest concentration of data-center facilities. Since launching its Northern Virginia cloud region in 2006, Amazon has invested more than $63 billion and employed over 3,400 workers in the county. In 2023 the company announced a $35 billion expansion plan for additional campuses statewide. As of fiscal 2026, the county counted about 233 data-center buildings—approximately 56.5 million sq ft—generating $1.2 billion in property-tax revenue, roughly 39 % of the county’s budget.
Official Statements & Responses
Amazon’s delivery vice president Joshua Weissman noted that Loudoun will remain a focus of Amazon’s “Built Together” commitment, which includes tuition assistance for community colleges and local project funding.
Key Figures and Numbers
- Purchase price of the GWU campus: $427 million (approximately four times the assessed value).
- Land donation value: about $65 million.
- Affordable-housing contribution: $5 million.
- Existing data-center inventory: 233 buildings, 56.5 million sq ft.
- Tax revenue from data centers FY 2026: $1.2 billion (39 % of county budget).
- Amazon’s regional investment since 2011: >$63 billion; >3,400 employees.
Verbatim Quotes
- “My goal was to disallow data centers or infrastructure that could support data centers on this property,” — Phyllis Randall, of supervisors chair
- “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.” — Joshua Weissman, delivery vice president
- “Replacing the George Washington University campus with four massive data center buildings would be a profound loss for our community,” — Juli Briskman
- “There was not a moment where it was decided that this was a bad idea,” — Joshua Weissman, delivery vice president