Statesboro Planning Commission backs proposed data center rezoning in 5-1 vote
The Statesboro Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend approval for a rezoning request by 4AM Development, LLC to allow a proposed data center campus in Bulloch County, Georgia. The project, which includes a 230,000-square-foot data center and an electrical substation, now moves to the Statesboro City Council for final consideration. It features a closed-loop water-based cooling system and minimal projected traffic impact.
The Statesboro Planning Commission has recommended the approval of a rezoning request for a proposed data center campus in Bulloch County, Georgia. In a 5-1 vote, the commission backed the request by 4AM Development, LLC, represented by engineering firm Thomas & Hutton, to rezone 26.5 acres at 6539 Burkhalter Road from high-density residential to Office and Business District zoning. This recommendation, however, is not final, as the project still requires consideration by the Statesboro City Council.
The proposed development includes a two-story, 230,000-square-foot data center, a 32,000-square-foot electrical substation, and a stormwater detention pond. The facility plans to use a closed-loop, water-based cooling system, estimating low daily water usage (30-100 gallons per day of makeup water and up to 1,000 gallons per day of peak domestic demand). City planning staff supported conditional approval, noting the data center's lower projected traffic impact compared to a previously approved residential development for the site.
Environmental considerations include wetlands on the property, which are currently under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a condition of the rezoning recommendation, the developer must dedicate a 10-foot strip of land along Burkhalter Road for future road improvements. The project cannot proceed without final approval from the Statesboro City Council.