Amazon Wants to Build a Data Center Campus in NoVA
E-commerce giant says hybrid work trends driving some of the decision
By Keith Loria August 24, 2022 9:58 am
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Amazon, which already has a big presence in Northern Virginia with its upcoming HQ2, is working to bring 900,000 square feet of new data centers to western Prince William County.
In a permit filed by Amazon (AMZN) Data Services this week, the tech giant requested a rezoning and special-use permit to construct a new data center campus on 59.6 acres that would be situated between 11479 and 11540 Nokesville Road in Bristow, Va.
Currently zoned for agricultural use, Amazon is hoping to have the land rezoned for business use. The Data Center Opportunity Overlay District lies just to the northeast of the property, across Broad Run.
The proposal calls for two 110-foot buildings, 450,000 square feet each, with an electrical substation covering 3.9 acres.
The application includes six parcels owned by CBG Land LLC; Mu-Del Properties LLC; VRN Broad Run Overlook LLC; Furman Land LLC; Route 28 Bristow LLC; LCS Land LLC; Pinnacle Real Estate Group LLC; and Carr Land LLC. Amazon is under contract to acquire the land, though no price was disclosed.
“As the immediate area around the property has grown increasingly commercial in nature, larger and long-term changes in technology have occurred as well,” Amazon said in its request. “Those changes have only accelerated in the past decade. More affordable technology and a shift to cloud computing has encouraged more businesses to adopt, and employees to embrace, hybrid work-from-home models. Online retail has fundamentally changed customers’ relationship to traditional retail.”
The company noted these changes will most likely remain for the foreseeable future, particularly in light of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and data centers are a critical component of the new online infrastructure. Land use patterns and demand for real estate are adjusting accordingly, per Amazon.
“The industry has been a welcome source of investment in many communities,” the application continued. “Data centers create long-term technology jobs and short-term construction jobs. The use generates real estate taxes and, in Prince William County, the computer and peripherals tax. Relative to most uses—in particular office, retail and residential—data centers demand little in terms of public services and generate few vehicle trips.”
Additionally, Amazon points to data centers having transformed for the better over the years, “often resembling a typical office building” and displaying more sustainable designs.
“The development of data centers is a desirable and important component of the modern commercial corridor,” the application said.
Requests for comment from Amazon were not immediately returned.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
