Site owned by timber firm Weyerhaeuser could see data center developed
Another data center development could be coming to Georgia.
First reported by WGXA News, Twiggs County officials are reviewing a zoning application for a data center development at 7015 Adams Park Road near Hwy 129, Dry Branch.
The application is to rezone 291.5 acres of a larger tract from Agricultural to General Industrial. Further details on the number and specifications of any planned data centers, along with project timelines, weren’t shared.
The site, currently owned by an affiliate of timber firm Weyerhaeuser, is some 15 miles southwest of Jeffersonville and 20 miles southeast of Macon.
The county board of commissioners conducted a public hearing last month and is set to meet again on September 18 to decide on the request.
County Commission Chairman Ken Fowler said the project could significantly boost the county's tax base. 13WMAZ reports it could be a $5 billion project bringing in some $6 million a year in tax.
Local press noted concerns have already been raised by local residents, including around water use and impact to the local rural area.
"It's a goal of ours to get a petition going so we can present it to our county commissioners to reflect the will of the people," Lena White, a local farmer, told the WGXA. "One concern I think it's going to come down to, are the county commissioners, elected officials, going to listen to the will of the people. I think a lot of community members are opposed to the data center. You know, are we going to be listened to?"
Founded in 1900, the Weyerhaeuser Company is a US timberland company. It owns nearly 12.4 million acres of timberland across the US and manages an additional 14 million acres in Canada. The company operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT).
Atlanta, traditionally a Tier 2 market, has quickly become a major hotspot for data center development. The state has seen applications for more than a dozen campuses, totaling tens of millions of square feet across dozens of buildings, filed over the last couple of years. While many are in Atlanta’s traditional data center heartland around Fulton County, applications have been filed for projects across the Peach State.
Source: DCD
