Amazon paid $427 million for a 122-acre university campus and proposed four data centres; after local opposition, it agreed to abandon the plan and pledge 25 acres for public facilities and $5 million for housing

Amazon has abandoned its plan to expand its data centre footprint in Virginia. The company was previously planning to build four data centres on a 120-acre campus at the George Washington University Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Loudoun County for $427 million. It has now withdrawn its application to develop the data centres. Instead, Amazon will donate roughly 25 acres of the property to Loudoun County for community facilities align with contributing $5 million to the county’s affordable housing efforts through the Loudoun County Affordable Housing Trust Fund.The agreement is called “Project Potomac Promise” by Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall. It calls for the e-commerce giant to withdraw its data centre site plan, abandon legal action to pursue development on the property, and work with the county to rezone the remaining…