BREAKING: Amazon Web Services withdraws request to build data center campus north of reservoir

Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.

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Amazon Web Services withdraws request to build data center campus north of reservoir

Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Wednesday withdrew its request for a conditional use permit (CUP) to build a sprawling data center campus just north of the Northeast Creek Reservoir in central Louisa County.

In a letter to county staff, Charlie Payne, a land use attorney representing AWS, said the company decided to “reevaluate” its proposal based on community feedback.

“Given the most recent feedback at the June 11, 2025, Louisa County Community meeting, we believe it is best at this juncture to reevaluate the proposed project. In this regard, we kindly request to withdraw the AWS Zoning Applications,” Payne wrote.

AWS last month filed an application with the county seeking permission to build up to 7.2 million square feet of data center buildings and seven substations on 1,370 acres, stretching from just south of Davis Highway (Route 22) to just north of Jefferson Highway (Route 33) adjacent to the reservoir. The company also requested several special exceptions to the county’s land development regulations to accommodate proposed entrances to the site.

Had it been approved by the board of supervisors, the campus would’ve been the tech giant’s third in the county’s Technology Overlay District (TOD), a special zoning designation adopted by supervisors two years ago and designed to attract lucrative tech sector development.

Since it became public in early June, the proposal stirred a groundswell of opposition. At a series of public meetings, neighbors expressed concern about noise and light pollution from the facility, the traffic it would generate during a years-long construction process, and the potential for runoff and contamination at the reservoir, which supplies drinking water to residents in central Louisa.

Residents also voiced concerns about issues often linked to large-scale data center development, including the amount of water the campus would use and its impact on the power grid.

Data centers are large warehouse-like facilities, which house the backbone of the internet, powering cloud-computing, artificial intelligence and other web-based services. They typically demand lots of power to keep their servers humming and large quantities of water to cool their equipment.

The facilities are prized by many local governments for the tax revenue they generate, mostly from real estate taxes on the buildings and personal property taxes from the pricey equipment inside.

Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, who represents the area where the campus was proposed for construction, said at a town hall in late June that he opposed the project.

Adams has been a proponent of data centers in the past, calling them “smart economic development." But he said it’s time for the county to pump the brakes on data center development and voiced concerns about the campus’ proximity to the reservoir and its proposed entrances, one of which he called “dangerous.”

In a statement to Engage Louisa Wednesday, Adams said AWS’s decision to pull the application shows the power of citizen engagement.

“The community engagement concerning this proposal has certainly been effective. The concerns raised by myself and others throughout this process has proven that citizens can and do make a difference in our community,” Adams said. “I encourage all citizens to remain engaged and informed in issues impacting Louisa County.”

Louisa County sought to attract data centers a couple years ago when it adopted the TOD, making the facilities and other tech sector uses by-right on about 6,400 acres across six assemblages, mostly in central and eastern Louisa.

County officials chose property for inclusion in the district, at least in part, to meet the needs of data center developers, focusing on proximity to utility infrastructure including high-voltage transmission lines.

About five months after creating the district, the county inked a deal with AWS to invest at least $11 billion to build two data center campuses. One of those complexes is under construction on 150 acres adjacent to the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. The other is slated for about 830 acres of a 1,444-acre tract off Jefferson Highway south of the reservoir.

Last year, supervisors removed some land from the TOD and tacked on the CUP requirement, ensuring citizens have a direct say in future tech sector projects in the district. Obtaining a CUP requires public hearings in front of the planning commission and the board of supervisors and an affirmative vote by the latter body.

Aside from the AWS campuses, EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure plans to develop a data center campus in the county. The Colorado-based firm acquired the 697-acre Shannon Hill Regional Business Park in late June. When the park was rezoned for industrial development six years ago, data centers were included as a by-right use.

In his letter, Payne said that AWS looks forward to partnering with the county as it continues to develop its other campuses and potentially future projects.

“We have heard the community and appreciate the desire for more robust input in any future projects that may be brought forward in the county, and we are confident that this is a goal that can be accomplished,” Payne wrote.