Some Louisa County residents celebrate victory as Amazon withdraws data center proposal

LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Some Louisa County residents celebrated what they consider a win for their community after Amazon Web Services (AWS) withdrew its application to build a third data center campus in the area.

Back in May, AWS submitted a conditional use permit to build the facility in the county’s Technology Overlay District (TOD). However, after receiving strong pushback from residents during several public meetings, the company formally withdrew its request.

In a letter to county leaders on Wednesday, an attorney representing AWS said they appreciated the county's engagement and would reevaluate the proposed project given the feedback they received.

Two AWS data center campuses are currently under construction in Louisa County as part of a $35 billion data center expansion project. The third campus was proposed for construction in the Mineral District. Duane A. Adams serves as the supervisor for that area and was in favor of the last two centers. However, he has since expressed the need for the county to press pause on data center development.

PREVIOUSLY: Nearly 700-acre data center campus coming to Louisa

"I think we need to stay the course, slow down, pump the brakes and see how that impacts our county,“ he said.

Adams also commended the community for making their voices heard saying, "This proves by this withdrawal, that when citizens get involved, they can have an impact on the local government.”

On Thursday, he joined neighbors who gathered at Mineral Baptist Church for an informational session. The meeting was planned prior to the company’s decision and proceeded as scheduled. Many residents used the opportunity to share a variety of concerns, including light pollution, air quality and noise levels.

“Who monitors this," one neighbor asked. "Who is going to say you’re past 80 decibels or 65 decibels or something of that nature?"

Sarah Parmelee with the Piedmont Environmental Council explained that addressing noise issues can be complex and urged the community to advocate for stricter oversight.

“Fixing a noise problem is a lengthy and complicated process, so that would be a good thing for your board of supervisors to look at and start figuring out,” she said.

While acknowledging the importance of data centers in the digital age, Parmelee also stressed the need for thoughtful planning.

“We need to slow down," Parmelee said. "We need to start really looking at these things and asking, how many of them do we actually need?"

8News has reached out to Amazon Web Services to learn more about what steps the company may take next regarding its plans in Louisa County.