GW sold the Virginia Science and Technology Campus for $427 million to Amazon Data Services, which plans to develop the site into a data or information technology center.
Friday’s deal, which officials announced without disclosing the buyer or price point, transfers all of GW’s roughly 122 acres of property in Loudoun County, Virginia, to ADS for $427,299,350 — roughly $3.5 million an acre — according to real estate records The Hatchet obtained Monday. The sale, adding to the thousands of acres Amazon holds for data center development in the “data center capital of the world,” permits GW to remain on the Virginia property for up to five years as officials work to relocate programs, including the School of Nursing.
University spokesperson Julia Garbitt confirmed the sale to ADS on Monday night and said GW is not paying the company to maintain VSTC operations for up to five years. She declined to comment on why GW sold the campus to Amazon or to disclose the other prospective buyers, but reiterated officials’ plans to place the proceeds in a quasi-endowment and pool the funds within the University’s endowment portfolio.
An Amazon spokesperson also confirmed the deal and declined to comment on their plans for the land, but said future considerations for the site’s development would involve community input, coordination with local leaders and transparent public processes. They said as part of the company’s “normal due diligence,” they constantly evaluate new locations based on customer demand.
