Amazon AWS: Amazon Proposal For Land Rezoning in Culpeper County Denied

The Culpeper County Planning Commission has denied Amazon's proposal to rezone over 200 acres of land in Stevensburg, Virginia, for data center use. The commission voted 5-4 against the company's proposal. It wasn't an easy decision for the council as the discussions and decision took over 5 hours to reach. Amazon wanted the zoning to happen before developing a 430,000 square feet data center. The land in question is currently under agricultural use, and it is located at 20420 Germanna Highway.

The District Supervisor of Stevensburg, Susan Gugino, said that the site in question is not ideal for data center development. She added that the county wants to preserve its historical and agricultural resources, which is why Amazon's proposal was rejected. Amazon wanted the site because it is close to a power transmission line. However, the proposal was met with huge submissions opposing the move. A common theme in the submission is that data centers should remain in the county's current industrial-zoned land.