Bartow Planning and Zoning gives Stilesboro project approval
A proposed data center for Taff Road in Stilesboro got the approval from the Bartow County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night. That proposal will now go before Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor.
A commissioner public hearing is set for June 4. The proposal seeks to change 867 acres of land from agricultural to industry to build Project Bunkhouse. The 8.6 million-square-foot facility is one of the largest with 12 buildings. Projected project cost is $19 billion.
Data centers are popping up around the country. They house computers that store all the data from AI, cell phones, and other electronics. They are what people call “the cloud” where all transmitted and created information can be stored.
The venture boasts of bring in $50 million in tax revenue but will use a tremendous amount of energy and water, as has been shown in other data centers around Atlanta and in Virginia. Residents around one of the Atlanta data centers say their water pressure has decreased and became dirty after the center supplying Meta with data storage opened.
Meanwhile, Floyd County residents are organizing opposition to a proposed data center there. Stop the Data Center for Coosa Floyd posted on social media the Floyd County Commissioners will vote on a proposal for 114 acres off Vann Drive. The meeting will be May 27 at 6 p.m. at the Floyd Administration Building on 4th Avenue in the Old Courthouse Building behind Jeffersons.
Vann Drive is adjacent to several Floyd County schools including Coosa High and Middle Schools. Property lines run to North Avery Road.
The proposal is for a 2.5 million-square-foot facility. Concerns are it will run 24/7, contribute to noise pollution, drain electricity from the power grid, and use up to five million gallons of water daily. It will also generate up to 150 tons of sediment water a year.
“There are ponds, wetlands, and streams that run through this land with no proposed actions to protect the land. The neighboring properties and streams will have flooding and run off issues that will affect their homes and land,” states an online flyer from the Stop the Data Center Coosa Floyd group.
Data centers have been in a political tussle in Georgia in recent months. A project was approved for Bates Road but the planning and zoning commission denied for Barnsley Gardens Road, causing the developer to withdraw the proposal.
The Coweta County Commission approved a controversial project but then paused data center project proposals for six months. The commission said it needed to sort out zoning ordinances for the center since it didn’t fit into current ordinances.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio.