Amazon data center campus plan for Ashburn hits Loudoun opposition

Amazon plans to build four two-story data center buildings on George Washington University‘s Ashburn campus, according to a site plan the e-tail giant filed with Loudoun County last week.

Seeking by-right approval from county supervisors for the project, Amazon already has met some public opposition by a member of the board and the county’s economic development director.

“Replacing the George Washington University campus with four massive data center buildings would be a profound loss for our community,” Supervisor Juli E. Briskman said in a news release last week. “The site offers a generational opportunity for education, research, housing and other forms of economic development that could directly benefit Loudoun residents. I strongly oppose this proposal and will fight it every step of the way.”

In March, Amazon Data Services, a subsidiary of Amazon, purchased the 111-acre property March 2 from GW for about $427.3 million, according to property records. The site plan Amazon submitted July 28 would place more than 800,000 square feet of data center space on the university’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn. The plan refers to the project as Bridgefield Tech Center. Currently, the Ashburn campus is home to more than 20 degree and certificate programs and 17 research labs, centers and institutes, according to the university.

In a February statement, GW President Ellen M. Granberg said the deal allows the university to keep programs running in Ashburn for up to five years; GW’s primary campus is in northwest Washington, D.C.

In her statement, Briskman noted that neither George Washington nor Amazon spoke with her prior to the sale.

Amazon said in a statement Monday that it looks forward to “working with Loudoun County and community stakeholders as the review process unfolds.

“The filing of a concept site plan for a redevelopment of the George Washington University’s Virginia Science and Technology campus is the first formal step in a lengthy review process. We are committed to honoring GWU’s ability to continue operating at the site for up to five years as they plan for their future, and do not plan to start construction until they fully vacate the site.”

Amazon’s application, according to Briskman, “seeks to use outdated zoning policies to redevelop the property through an administrative process that would not require review by the Loudoun County Planning Commission, public hearings or approval by the Board of Supervisors.”

Loudoun County, home of the world’s largest cluster of data centers, has begun taking steps to rein in the industry as community members have raised objections to predicted increases in power and water use, along with other localities. In July, supervisors voted 6-1 to direct county staff to prepare an item to place a temporary moratorium on new data center applications while Loudoun completes a revision of its standards and regulations. The board is expected to vote on the measure Sept. 15.

But for now, the rules are a bit muddled.

Properties in the Route 28 Tax District, which includes the Ashburn campus, are governed by a 1972 Zoning Ordinance. A 2000 zoning determination treats data centers as office use under the 1972 ordinance, according to Briskman, who says that this policy could potentially allow data centers to be built by-right “without legislative review wherever office uses are permitted,” the news release stated.

Making matters more confusing, county Zoning Administrator Teresa H. Miller issued an opinion on July 30 that the 2000 policy is obsolete.

She issued the opinion at the request of Buddy Rizer, Loudoun’s executive director for economic development. Rizer, who brought the data center industry to Loudoun County and has been nicknamed the “godfather of data centers,” has publicly denounced the plan for GW’s campus.

Rizer’s opposition

While making comments March 12 at the Dulles Area Association of Realtors 20th Annual Economic Summit, Rizer said that the campus is not the right place for a data center complex.

“This is not an area where the county has ever — and I highlight ever — anticipated data centers,” Rizer was quoted as saying in a Loudoun Times-Mirror article. “There’s no infrastructure for them, and it’s just not what we want there. So for them to strike the deal that puts those in play there, has not been something that’s made any of us happy in the county.”

In March 2025, supervisors approved major changes to the county’s data center regulations, requiring future projects to obtain board approval through the special exception process rather than being approved administratively by right. The board also grandfathered certain pending applications submitted before the zoning changes.

According to the site plan, three of the data center buildings would sit north of George Washington Boulevard, and a fourth would be on the south side of the road. The plan also includes three multi-story parking garages.

Amazon noted in its statement the company’s “long-standing history of investing in Loudoun County, building a strong network of local partnerships and supporting an average of 10,200 full-time equivalent jobs annually,” as well as paying more than $2.1 billion in total property taxes and fees in Loudoun County from 2016 through 2025.

“Over the past 20 years, our investments have helped fund Loudoun’s schools, infrastructure and essential community services,” the company said in the statement.

GW’s Ashburn campus opened in 1991 on 50 acres of land donated by Robert H. Smith, then president of Charles E. Smith Construction. University officials decided to sell the campus during a time of fiscal restraint prompted by enrollment declines and increases in operating costs, according to Granberg.

The university’s budget for fiscal 2027 includes a total of $46.5 million in budget reductions from the previous year.

In her February statement, Granberg said the decision to sell the campus was made after consideration by the university’s board and leadership and “is part of a broader strategy to strengthen GW’s long-term financial health and to invest more deeply in our academic mission and community.”