Data centers · Oct 21, 2026, 14:44
Amazon Drops 4-Building Data Center Plan on Former GW Campus in Ashburn
Amazon withdrew its application for four data centers on the 122-acre campus it bought for $427 million, donating 25 acres to Loudoun County and paying $5 million into its housing fund.
An AWS data center exterior. Image supplied by Amazon; it does not show the Ashburn campus.
Image: Amazon
Source · Press image from the Amazon newsroom, used for news reporting.
Amazon has withdrawn its application for four data center buildings on the former George Washington University campus in Ashburn, Virginia, according to WTOP. Amazon bought the 122-acre Science and Technology Campus in March 2026 for $427 million, then filed a site plan for the four buildings that county officials opposed.
Amazon is giving back land worth about $65 million and paying $5 million after buying the 122-acre campus for $427 million.
Illustration (AI-generated)
Under the agreement, called Project Potomac Promise, Amazon will donate 25 acres to Loudoun County, valued at about $65 million at fair market value according to a county news release. The land will become a district that prohibits data centers and related infrastructure, even by special exception, and will host a community arts center and an indoor sports facility. Amazon will also rezone its remaining land for mixed-use development, including attainable and market-rate housing, and contribute $5 million to the county's Housing Fund.
Sources
- Amazon withdraws application for data center campus at GWU site in Ashburn, Virginia · DatacenterDynamics