Briskman Flags Data Center Risk at Former GWU Campus

Algonkian District Supervisor Juli E. Briskman is warning residents about the potential impact of data center development following the recent purchase of the former George Washington University Virginia Science and Technology Campus by Amazon Data Services.

Amazon acquired the 120-acre property for $427 million last month, a price significantly above its assessed value. According to Briskman, the purchase suggests the company may intend to develop data centers on the site.

Because the property remains subject to the county’s 1972 Zoning Ordinance, Amazon could pursue development “by-right,” meaning it would not require legislative approval from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

“Given that Amazon purchased the property for four times its assessed value, it is reasonable to believe that the company intends to pursue data center development,” Briskman said, noting that both she and the Board have previously expressed opposition to such use at that location.

Briskman plans to bring forward an initiative at the Board of Supervisors’ April 7 business meeting directing county staff to study and publish a report on the potential impacts of data center development at the site. The report would include an analysis of infrastructure needs, including power requirements, associated with such a project.

The property is located just north of Route 7 near Riverside Parkway, in close proximity to residential and commercial areas, as well as recreational and environmental resources.

Since taking office in 2020, Briskman has opposed rezoning applications for new data centers in Loudoun County. She has also supported broader planning efforts to better define where such facilities should be located.

In 2021, she worked with the county’s Department of Economic Development on a mapping initiative tied to the 2019 General Plan. That effort was later divided into phases, with the first phase resulting in the removal of by-right entitlement for future data center development in certain areas.

During the county’s 2023 Zoning Ordinance rewrite, Briskman also backed a successful measure to eliminate by-right data center development in the Planned Development–Research Development Park zoning district, which includes the GWU campus. However, longstanding agreements tied to the Route 28 Tax District mean the property still falls under the older 1972 ordinance, which classifies data centers as a by-right office use.

Briskman said her current effort is intended to increase transparency and explore options to prevent what she described as inappropriate redevelopment of the site.

She also expressed concern about the site’s proximity to nearby amenities and environmental resources, including Bles Park and the Potomac River, which serves as a regional drinking water source.