Amazon abandons $427 million GW campus data center plan and pledges land donations worth $65 million instead

Amazon has canceled its plan to construct a $427 million data center on George Washington University's Virginia campus. Instead, the company will donate roughly 25 acres of the land to Loudoun County for community facilities, as part of an agreement dubbed "Project Potomac Promise." Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall revealed that Amazon abandoned its data center site plan, will refrain from pursuing legal action for the development, and will collaborate with the county to rezone the remaining land for mixed-use development, with housing being the dominant use.

Amazon will also contribute $5 million to the county's affordable housing efforts through the Loudoun County Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The land donation, valued at approximately $65 million, will be used to develop a community arts center and an indoor sports and recreation facility. This decision comes after loud concerns from community members, who feared the proposed data center would disrupt the area's focus on education, research, and housing.