‘Chaos all the time’: Homeowner sues Amazon over data centre being built near his home

Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images. Austin Newsom says his life was once quiet and simple. He lives with his wife in a three-bedroom home just off U.S Route 33 in Louisa, VA, and owns a boat repair shop that operates on the same land. He recently built another house nearby, and planned to move into that one and sell the home he’d spent upward of $US80,000 ($113,000) to renovate. Then, Amazon started construction on a data centre across the road from his home. “Before this, you were able to sleep past 6am without crazy noises and just all kinds of sh — going on,” he tells Realtor.com. “Now it’s just chaos all the time.” Since the project began, Newsom says he’s dealt with his tap water turning mud-brown, loud noises, flashing lights, reduced air quality, heightened traffic, flooding, a downturn in his business, and structural damage to his home. Now, he’s suing Amazon, and a federal judge has allowed the case to move forward despite the company’s efforts to dismiss it. Amazon is already making an impact on Louisa County If you live in Louisa County, you’re no stranger to Amazon’s efforts to build its data centres in the area. Amazon Web Services is in the middle of...