BREAKING: Amazon Web Services acquires more than 1,900 acres in central Louisa County for $72.45 million
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has purchased about 1,925 acres in central Louisa County for $72.45 million, according to Louisa County land records. The deal—one of the most lucrative in county history—closed in early January.
The tech giant’s acquisition includes the roughly 1,445-acre Fisher Chewning tract, which sits on the northern end of the Northeast Creek Reservoir, mostly in the county’s Technology Overlay District (TOD). The TOD is a special zoning designation adopted by the board of supervisors two and a half years ago to attract data center development.
AWS last May applied for a conditional use permit [CUP} to build up to 7.2 million square feet of data center buildings on the property, but, amid strong opposition from neighbors, withdrew its application two months later.
The company is already building a pair of data center campuses in the district, one on parts of a 1,444-acre tract south of Route 33 near the reservoir and the other on 150 acres adjacent to the North Anna Power Station.
As part of the deal, AWS also acquired the 456-acre Mine & Hemmer tract, between Chopping Road and Route 522, and about 24 acres along Route 22 and Shortmans Road just west of the Louisa County High School/Middle School campus. Those properties are outside of the TOD.
Data centers were initially permitted by-right in the district, meaning they didn’t require a public approval process, but the use now requires a CUP. Obtaining a CUP requires public hearings and approval by the board of supervisors. Data centers aren’t generally allowed in the county’s other zoning designations.
AWS acquired the Fisher Chewning property from Fisher Chewning, L.C., a firm owned by former Louisa District Supervisor Eric Purcell; his sister, Virginia Purcell; and their father, attorney and developer Charles Purcell, via trusts. The other properties were also owned by the family. According to county land records, the tracts had a combined assessed value of about $3.7 million.
At publication time, AWS hadn’t responded to questions about the acquisition or the company’s plans for the property, including whether it intends to resubmit an application to build data centers on the Fisher Chewning tract. AWS hasn’t filed an application to develop the property since withdrawing its proposal last year nor has the company reached out to county staff for a pre-application meeting, according to Louisa County Community Development Director Linda Buckler.
Louisa County, in partnership with the Louisa County Water Authority (LCWA), is building an 11-mile waterline from the reservoir to deliver cooling water to AWS’s campus by North Anna. The line is proposed to cross both the Fisher Chewning and Mine & Hemmer tracts as it travels along a right-of-way for a Dominion-owned 230-kilovolt transmission line. LCWA has been acquiring easements from property owners to build the line. AWS is paying for the infrastructure.
If AWS opts to pursue data centers on the Fisher Chewning property, it’s expected to again face stiff resistance from neighbors and opposition from Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, who represents the area. Adams supported the TOD when it was created in 2023, opening the door for AWS to develop two data center campuses. But he opposed the company’s proposal for a third campus. At last week’s board of supervisors meeting, Adams said he continues to oppose additional data center development in the area and signaled he wants to remove Fisher Chewning from the TOD.
In a statement to Engage Louisa on Tuesday evening, Adams reiterated his opposition to data center development on the tract and surrounding parcels.
“As I declared in June of 2025, I am opposed to any data center development on these parcels. I will move to start the removal of the TOD zoning designation at the January 20 board meeting by referring action to the planning commission to reevaluate the TOD zoning,” he said. “To be perfectly clear, this area of the county should not be open to any additional data center or commercial development. I will continue to lead the effort to ensure that these parcels retain their A2 zoning without future industrial or commercial development.”
Editor’s note: Engage Louisa’s author, Tammy Purcell, is a distant relative of Charles, Eric and Virginia Purcell. She has no financial interest in this transaction.
Amazon Web Services purchased the property under the name Amazon Data Services. Louisa County typically refers to the company as Amazon Web Services, or AWS, hence the references in this article.
The gap between assessed value at $3.7M and purchase price at $72.45M really underscores how much data center demand has shifted land valuations in these areas. Adams' position on reverting the TOD zoning after initially supporting it shows how quickly local sentiment can flip once the scale becomes concrete instead of hypothetical.
7.2 million square feet of concrete buildings.....that's a lot to look at