Two more data center proposals are coming to Stafford, in Virginia’s Stafford County.
First reported by the Free Lance-Star, Amazon has filed for a two-building campus in the county, while another unnamed developer is planning a three-building site nearby.
Amazon files for Potomac Church Tech Center
Amazon Data Services has filed for permission to develop the Potomac Church Tech Center; a data center campus along Old Potomac Road near the intersection of South Campus Boulevard.
The company is looking to rezone just under 50 acres from Urban Commercial (B-2) and amend Stafford County Ordinance to permit the development of a data center campus.
Filings suggest the company is planning to develop 510,000 sq ft (47,380 sqm) of data center space across two two-story buildings on the site, as well as a new substation.
The land is owned by Old Potomac Church LLC. Amazon aims to invest around $1 billion into the project. As part of the deal, Amazon is paying the county $7 million to build a pumping station and a water pipeline.
The site was rezoned from A-1 Agricultural for a medical clinic in 2009 but never developed. B-2 zoning does allow for data centers but the current restrictions on that land parcel mean the majority of the site is only allowed for medical/dental use.
Amazon already has a significant presence in Northern Virginia and continues to expand in the area in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties as well as Prince William. The company is also making moves to establish data centers in Fauquier, Culpeper, King George, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and Louisa Counties.
Pemberton Tech Center also coming to Stafford County
The Free Lance-Star noted that in a recent council meeting, county officials said another data center campus is being proposed, but details are scarce at this point.
Paul Santay, the county’s chief director of community development, said the proposed Pemberton Tech Center would see three data center buildings developed on 52 acres along Centreport Parkway.
The site is currently zoned B-2. The data centers would total around 562,000 sq ft (52,200 sqm). Further details are unclear at this time.
Peterson Companies’ proposed Stafford Technology Park – which could span 5.5 million square feet (511,000 sqm) of data center buildings at full build-out – would be located between the two developments.
In January 2023, Potomac Local reported that an unnamed single firm aimed to build four data centers in multiple corners of Stafford County, including the Falmouth, Griffis-Widewater, and rural George Washington magisterial districts.
Stafford County is also considering creating a data center overlay district. The overlay zone – similar to Prince William County’s – would provide designated areas in the county where developers could build data centers by right without seeking a land rezoning.
