Loudoun County Housing Deal: Amazon cancels four data centers

Amazon has dropped plans to build four data centers in Loudoun County, Virginia.

The company will instead develop most of the 122-acre site as mixed-use and residential housing. This shift follows strong opposition from local residents. The land is the former campus of George Washington University.

The deal includes specific concessions to the county. Amazon will donate 25 acres of the property for a community arts center and a recreational facility. The company will also add $5 million to the county's housing fund.

The decision comes in a region known as Data Center Alley. Loudoun County hosts the largest concentration of data centers in the world. Residents have expressed concern over noise and high electricity consumption. The county's attitude toward new construction has changed in recent months.

Amazon submitted its proposal in July 2026. 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.

Josh Weissman, Amazon's vice president for data center development, noted that the company acted quickly to purchase the site. He stated that Amazon considered the county's pointed concerns. Weissman said the company concluded that a shared vision was better than costly litigation. "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," he said.

The timing coincides with a national shift in policy. President Donald Trump recently urged data center builders to pay local communities a dividend. He also called for these facilities to generate their own electricity and sell surplus power back to the grid. Randall called the final agreement a result of cooperation. "By choosing dialogue over reflexive disagreement, Loudoun County and Amazon created an opportunity for the County," she said. She added that the deal provides new spaces for residents to gather and more attainable homes for working families.