Group called Protect Statesboro plans petition for election to repeal data center ordinance
Protect Statesboro is collecting signatures for a referendum seeking to repeal the city ordinance governing data centers, amid opposition to a proposed 4AM Development facility on Burkhalter Road. The city approved rezoning the 27-acre site, while opponents have also filed a court challenge and raised concerns about electricity demand, water use and the facility’s proximity to residential neighborhoods.
Protect Statesboro, led by organizer Ameigh Denali, has begun a petition drive seeking a referendum to repeal Statesboro’s Technological Facilities and Data Centers Ordinance. The ordinance, adopted by the Statesboro City Council in June, bars hyperscale facilities larger than 50 acres but allows smaller edge data centers in designated commercial and industrial zoning districts.
The campaign centers on a proposed 230,000-square-foot data center from 4AM Development at 6539 Burkhalter Road. The City Council voted 3-2, with Mayor Jonathan McCollar breaking the tie, to rezone the approximately 27-acre site from high-density residential to office/business use; the project still requires a special-use permit. Developers have submitted a preliminary sound study and water-use plan and requested up to 99 megawatts from Georgia Power.
Opponents say the facility is inappropriate for a residential area and question its potential power and water impacts. Separately, 11 residents and Coastal Communities United filed a complaint in Bulloch County Superior Court seeking to reverse the rezoning. Protect Statesboro estimates it needs about 3,116 valid signatures, or 20% of registered voters in the most recent municipal election, to trigger a referendum.