Amazon’s data center unit has bought three office properties in Sterling, Virginia.
Biz Journal reports that Amazon Data Services Inc. bought the buildings, located at 46000, 46010, and 46020 Manekin Plaza, for $21,051,600 on Dec. 21, according to Loudoun County deed records.
The three properties span one single-story development off Ridgetop Circle totaling around 222,000 sq ft (20,600 sqm). CyrusOne has a facility nearby.
Public records list the previous owner as SIP/CREF Manekin Plaza LLC, who bought the roughly 7.5-acre development in 2019 for $11.8 million. The office buildings, which list a UHaul facility, an engineering firm, and others among their tenants, were originally built in 1989.
Amazon declined to comment on its plans for the buildings, so it's uncertain whether the company wants them for office space for AWS or to build a data center. Given they were bought by Amazon’s Data Services unit, the latter is more likely (either via retrofit or complete demolition and rebuild).
Northern Virginia has the highest concentration of data centers in the world, and AWS owns and operates a large number of facilities across the area, including Haymarket and Manassas, Ashburn, Chantilly, Warrenton, and McNair. Last year the company acquired 17 acres in Loudoun County for $32.5 million, and is planning further developments in Chantilly, Manassas, and Warrenton.