(The Center Square) – A small community in northwest Georgia is under consideration for the state's next large data center.
A Development of Regional Impact filed by New York-based investment firm Thor Equities with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs shows a proposed 350,000-square-foot facility would be located in Kingston, located in Bartow County, according to information posted online. Kingston is a small municipality with fewer than 1,000 people.
The project is valued at $1 billion and would generate $2 million in annual tax revenue, according to the information.
The data center would use 150 megawatts of power at its peak. The company will use the Municipal Electrical Authority of Georgia for its power supply. The power company provides service to 49 Georgia communities, including nearby Cartersville.
Thor Equities will ask Bartow County to rezone 559 acres for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2030, according to information available online from the Department of Community Affairs.
Bartow County's Sole Commissioner Steve Taylor said during a July meeting of the Georgia House Blue Ribbon Study Committee on Local Government, Taxation, Funding and Budget that he is pro-data center because of the revenue they can bring to counties. Bartow County, with a population of more than 120,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is one of seven counties in the state with a single commissioner overseeing the county.
The Kingston project is the 17th new data center included on the Department of Community Affairs' list of projects with regional impact, announced since Jan. 1.
Georgia has 276 data centers, according to Data Center Map, which tracks their development.
A new project in Effingham County has been touted by county officials as a way to offset property taxes.
Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan said at an Aug. 29 meeting of the county commission that an OpenAI project proposed for the county could result in a six-mil reduction in property taxes.
"So you could be looking at a $350,000 taxable valued house, about $1,300 worth of relief in this year's tax bill," Callanan said.
Residents in Effingham County and others have raised concerns about noise, power use and environmental impacts, even if a big tax break is promised.
"Everybody loves a tax break, but what we hate is coming back later and being told, you know what, we've got to charge you a bunch of extra money because there was something that should have been paid," said Kenneth Lak, a local lawyer in Effingham County, at the commission's Aug. 29 meeting. "What are you going to do to make sure that you don't come back asking us to pay a bigger bill down the road?"
Some counties have enacted a data center moratorium. The Floyd County Commission, which is adjacent to Bartow County, enacted an 80-day moratorium on new data center projects before adopting an ordinance in late August that governs their development.
"Under the ordinance, data centers are permitted only within the Heavy Industrial zoning district," county officials said in a statement. "Proposed facilities must satisfy detailed requirements addressing noise, utility capacity, water consumption, environmental effects, emergency preparedness, neighborhood compatibility and the eventual restoration of project sites."
Georgia's gubernatorial candidates addressed data centers on the campaign trail.
Keisha Lance Bottoms is calling for a pause on data center development.
"My concern is that we are moving too fast on this and it is going to be at the expense of our communities," said Bottoms, Georgia's Democratic candidate for governor, at a Sept. 22 campaign rally in Ringgold. "I can tell you as I am moving around this state, there are some areas that are saying we want the economic benefit from these data centers. There are others that say it is a complete disaster on our water system and on our environment."
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson said local voters must have the final say.
"Any data center in Georgia should provide a clear local benefit, pay its own way, and meet strong environmental standards," Jackson said in a social media post. "Local residents know their communities, infrastructure, and long-term needs better than anyone."
