Stafford County supervisors voted 4-2 on Aug. 18 to approve a proffer amendment for the Potomac Church Tech Center, correcting the district designation from Aquia to Falmouth. The ordinance advances the Amazon data center project with a new $10 million cash transportation contribution while retaining original Tier 2 emergency generators and limiting potable water use.
Applicant representative Charlie Payne told the Board of Supervisors the amendment removes an earlier request for an additional 113,000 gallons per day of potable water. Both buildings will now be capped at the original 217,000 GPD allowance previously approved for the site. Payne said the change came after design work showed the second building could operate within the existing limit once a reuse system is complete.
A $160 million bond and performance agreement for the reuse system is already underway, Payne said. The first building received its certificate of occupancy May 1. The second is targeted for July 2028. After that certificate is issued, the proffers limit any continued peak potable water use to two years.
Regarding transportation, Payne said staff had estimated roughly $3 million in road work needed near Old Potomac Church Road. Rather than design, acquire right-of-way and construct the improvements themselves, the applicant offered $10 million in cash that the county can apply to those improvements or other transportation needs in the area. Supervisor Tinesha Allen said she appreciated the contribution and wanted the funds prioritized for repairs to the damaged section of Old Potomac Church Road.
The generators drew the most extended discussion. State rules that took effect July 1, 2026, generally require Tier 4 equipment. The Tier 2 units at Potomac Church were approved in March 2025. Payne said the county asked Amazon to evaluate a selective catalytic reduction retrofit to reach Tier 4 performance. The conversion equipment would weigh 12,000 to 15,000 pounds and could not be supported by the existing structure. Full replacement would require redesign, new permitting and a delay of two to four years, pushing occupancy well past 2028. Payne said the company exhausted the review and found the retrofit infeasible. The generators remain subject to DEQ air permitting and are used only for emergencies and testing.
Public speakers criticized the emissions profile, water claims, construction impacts and proximity to a nearby daycare. Jeff Eastland of Rock Hill said particulate matter from Tier 2 generators poses health risks and noted a daycare “spitting distance” across the street. He also challenged claims that evaporative cooling would be needed only about 4 percent of operating hours.
Christopher Hayes of Falmouth cited weather data showing ambient temperatures above 85 degrees far more often and questioned overall water volumes until the purple-line reuse system is online. Kristen Maxson of Falmouth pointed to road buckling caused by construction trucks, agenda errors listing the wrong district, and longstanding transparency concerns.
Aaron Cinzaro of Hartwood urged concrete, immediate construction-mitigation measures rather than waiting for final occupancy certificates. Kevin French of George Washington suggested the board ask Amazon what phased emission reductions might still be possible over time.
Payne responded that Amazon had already funded water and sewer connections for neighboring properties, relocated a utility line at its own expense, and added double rows of plantings near the daycare roughly 400 feet from the nearest building. He said the company continues to address construction issues and remains subject to all DEQ requirements.
Supervisor Dr. Pamela Yeung, Garrisonville, sought clarification on the water language and confirmed the additional 113,000 GPD request had been dropped. Allen asked whether county facilities such as schools, the hospital, and fire stations use comparable generator standards and pressed for any future technological solutions that might reduce emissions without a full replacement.
After public comment closed, Allen moved to approve the ordinance, with the district corrected to Falmouth. The motion passed 4-2.
