Data Center Eyed for West Virginia Quarry

A West Virginia quarry initially targeted for a National Park Service museum may instead be redeveloped as a data center project, according to local media. The former Old Standard Quarry near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia has been the focus of several development proposals. At a meeting of the Jefferson County Commission last week, officials were told that Washington, D.C. developer Orr Partners has proposed a data center for the site. Builders "would literally dig into the hillside" to build the data center operations, then cover it with soil, commissioners were told. Only about six or seven employees would work at the site, according to a presentation by Davis Carter Scott Architecture.

Discussions have been ongoing for about a year over ways to develop the old quarry. A $250 million office development project was dropped amid concerns about how it would affect nearby Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The site was then considered for a National Park Service museum, but officials said last week that idea is off the drawing board.