City could OK data centers

The Social Circle Planning Commission has unanimously recommended that the city council approve a series of zoning, annexation, special-use permitting, and future land use map change requests for a 123-acre parcel at 1402 Roy Malcom Road. This tract is the final piece of a proposed 450-acre data center complex on the southeast side of Social Circle, Georgia. The city council is scheduled to hold public hearings and vote on these requests at its April 21 meeting. Approval could enable the construction of two buildings, totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, to begin this fall. The engineering and design consulting firm Thomas & Hutton is representing the current property owner in these proceedings. The project has generated public and commission concerns regarding the significant demands data centers place on electrical power and water resources, as well as potential increases in vehicular traffic, particularly on Roy Malcom Road. While the current requests are pending, two other tracts for the data center complex, totaling over 330 acres, received city council approval in previous votes in November and September. Notably, the city council had instituted a moratorium on data center requests in September, which expired on January 27 after new comprehensive data center regulations were approved. The current requests, filed on February 9, are being considered under these new regulations. Representatives for the project indicate an unidentified "end user" is already in line to occupy the facilities, with an announcement potentially imminent.