City council sells 21 acres to Amazon for new data center (potomaclocal.com)
The Manassas City Council accepted an early Christmas gift from Amazon Data Services.
The firm will pay the city about $28 million for land at the city airport to build a new server farm. Amazon offered to purchase the 21-acre parcel at 10453 Wakeman Drive from the city government.
The city council unanimously approved the sale during its meeting on Monday, November 27, 2023. The new Amazon data center will join a host of others in the area, which sits just over the city boundary in Prince William County.
Manassas, which is about 10 square miles, has few data centers. The Amazon development on Wakeman Drive will be its third, preceded by centers built on the old Glen Gary brick plant on Godwin Drive and a soon-to-be-developed center near Route 28 and Wellington Road.
Assistant City Manager Matthew Arceri said the funds from the land sale must be given to the city’s airport commission to do with as it sees fit due to FAA regulations because the property sits within the city’s airport district.
Two people spoke during a public hearing on the property sale. John Snider, a city resident serving on the city’s airport commission, cautioned the city council on selling the property.
“Giving up property for non-aviation purposes is never a good idea in the long term,” Snider told the city council. “We’re going to have to trust you guys that you’re making a good decision.”
Lynn Forkell Greene, a former city council member and a freelance reporter for this news organization, said she opposed the sale and encouraged the city council to develop a comprehensive plan for data centers.
“It seems these data center companies are coming and choosing sites that don’t have to be discussed ahead of time,” said Forkell Greene. “It seems the city council is blinded by these big sums of money.”
Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis motioned to approve the property sale. Councilman Tom Osina seconded her motion.
Data center companies continue to show interest in the region. Tonight, Tuesday, November 28, 2023, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors is set to hear a case from home builder Stanley Martin Homes, which proposes rezoning 270 acres at Linton Hall and Devlin roads in Bristow for new data centers.
The property is surrounded by hundreds of existing single-family homes and an elementary school. Several residents have urged county leaders to deny the request.
Most Democrats on the Board of County Supervisors favor the continued development of data centers in the county. They say the additional tax revenue from the data centers will help pay for more county government services.
Datacenter opponents will have a press conference before the 6:30 p.m. meeting at the county government center, 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge. Data center supporters — labor union IBEW Local 26 — will simultaneously hold a dueling press conference.
Data centers power the internet and create few jobs. Most data center complexes employ fewer than 30 people