Public hearing for Taylorsville data center proposal June 4
The Floyd County Commission approved a 2.5 million-square-foot data center on Vann Road near Coosa Middle and High Schools during its regular meeting Tuesday night.
Another unrelated data center proposal for Taylorsville will be the issue of a public hearing in Bartow County on June 4. Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor will be deciding whether to accept the county planning and zoning recommendation for approval on a massive data center project set for more than 800 acres of land.
The final approval in Rome came despite opposition from Floyd County residents, who organized a public campaign over the past two weeks since the Rome-Floyd County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended rezoning the 178 acres from agricultural to heavy industrial use in early May.
Concerns over noise and light pollution, construction traffic, high traffic once it opens, environmental issues, and an eyesore development had no impact on the final decision. Atlas Development of Carrollton said the seven buildings that houses servers told commissioners the data center could bring as much as $50 million in annual tax revenue for Floyd County.
The project got the endorsement of the Rome-Floyd Development Authority and Floyd County School Superintendent Glenn White. The Floyd County Board of Education sold 114 acres of land behind Coosa High School for the data center with reports the price was around $40,000 an acre. The board of education approved the sale in a meeting Nov. 26.
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.