Sell or ground-lease to a datacenter developer in Virginia
Virginia ranks 95/100 for datacenter land — exceptional statewide suitability. Virginia is a top-tier state for this use; provider competition is strong.
Sell or ground-lease Virginia land for a datacenter — Loudoun, Prince William, and beyond
Northern Virginia is the world's largest datacenter market. What parcels sell for, what scouts want, and emerging Tier-2 Virginia counties.
Northern Virginia is the largest concentration of datacenter capacity in the world. Loudoun County alone hosts over 70% of global internet traffic at peak — earning it the nickname "Data Center Alley." Prince William and Fauquier are emerging as the next-tier expansion zones. Together, these counties have made Virginia the most lucrative datacenter land market on the planet.
What Virginia datacenter land sells for in 2026
- Loudoun County core (Ashburn, Sterling, Brambleton): $400,000-$1,500,000 per acre — yes, that's correct
- Loudoun County edge (Leesburg, exurban): $150,000-$500,000 per acre
- Prince William (Manassas, Gainesville, Bristow): $150,000-$500,000 per acre
- Fauquier (Warrenton, Bealeton): $50,000-$200,000 per acre
- Spotsylvania / Stafford: $50,000-$150,000 per acre
- Richmond metro / Henrico: $30,000-$100,000 per acre
- Virginia Beach / Chesapeake (cable landing zone): $50,000-$200,000 per acre
Ground leases (50-99 years) are also common, paying roughly 5-7% of land value annually. A $200,000/acre prime parcel might ground-lease at $12,000-$14,000/acre/year.
Why Virginia became the world's datacenter capital
Three accidents of history compounded:
- MAE-East fiber junction in Tysons Corner (early-1990s internet backbone)
- Dominion Energy's willingness to build transmission to support datacenter loads
- Loudoun County's pro-development planning + sales tax exemption for DC equipment
The result: massive existing fiber infrastructure, available substation capacity, hyperscaler clusters that attract more hyperscalers, and a county government that knows how to permit datacenters.
What scouts want
Site selectors at Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Equinix, Digital Realty, QTS, Stack, Aligned, etc.:
- 50-500 contiguous acres for a hyperscale campus
- Substation capacity of 150-300+ MW within 3-5 km — Dominion has been building substations aggressively but capacity is tight
- Dark fiber within 1 mile — multiple carriers
- Industrial or rezonable zoning
- Water availability for cooling
- Distance from residential opposition — Loudoun County citizen pushback has slowed some projects
Emerging Virginia Tier-2 counties
As Loudoun and Prince William fill up, scouts are expanding into:
- Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George: Richmond-area expansion
- Henrico, Hanover, Goochland: Richmond metro
- Roanoke, Botetourt: Western Virginia (newer, lower prices)
- Virginia Beach area: subsea cable landing proximity
How to attract Virginia datacenter scouts
Most Virginia datacenter deals go through specialty brokers:
- CBRE Data Center Solutions
- JLL Data Centers
- Newmark Data Center Group
- Cushman & Wakefield Data Center Advisory
Listing with one of these specialty brokers (or all four) is the standard path. They have direct relationships with hyperscaler site selectors.
For Loudoun County land specifically, also engage Loudoun County's Department of Economic Development — they actively match land to incoming inquiries.
Stacking with other uses
Datacenter is mostly mutually exclusive with other surface uses (the campus takes the parcel). However:
- Battery storage can co-locate with datacenter campuses
- Mineral rights remain yours (subsurface)
- Solar canopies on parking — small additional revenue from rooftop solar on datacenter parking
Next step
Run a free Landholder.com assessment — we'll calculate exact substation distance and capacity for your Virginia parcel using EIA-860 data.
Quick reference — datacenter land basics
- 1Site identification
Site selectors look for 50-500+ contiguous acres within a few miles of a 100+ MW substation and dark fiber, in datacenter-friendly counties.
- 2Pre-application
Confirm zoning, water access, environmental constraints. Many counties are now creating fast-track approvals for DC investment.
- 3Term sheet
Sale or ground lease term sheets emerge after initial diligence — usually 90-180 days from first contact.
- 4Close
Most hyperscalers prefer outright purchase. Ground leases (50-99 years) are also common, particularly in tight-supply markets.
Providers serving Virginia
5 providers in our directory serve Virginia for datacenter.
Largest commercial real estate firm; specialized data center site selection and transaction team.
Global data center advisory practice. Site selection, land acquisition, and transaction services.
Global JLL data center advisory group representing hyperscalers and colocation operators.
Marketplace platform connecting landowners with energy buyers across solar, wind, oil & gas, and data centers.
Newmark's data center specialty practice; site acquisition for hyperscale and enterprise.
FAQ — Datacenter land in Virginia
Power (proximity to a high-capacity substation), fiber (within 2 miles of a backbone), parcel size (50+ acres), zoning (industrial or rezonable), and a datacenter-friendly tax environment.
Northern Virginia (Loudoun) dominates. Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Columbus OH, Salt Lake City, and Hillsboro OR are also top-tier. Tier 2 markets are growing fast.
Site selectors actively scout. Listing your land on landholder.com puts it in front of multiple scouts at once.
Free, instant assessment — across all fifteen monetization paths, not just datacenter.