Columbus residents fight plan to build a huge data center in their backyard

Residents of Columbus, Georgia are fighting plans to build a large data center in their rural community. The proposed 900-acre "Project Ruby" data center has faced significant local opposition, with residents like Kim Hicks voicing concerns about the environmental impact, noise, and light pollution the facility would bring. The Columbus City Council is currently drafting a technology overlay zone, a special zoning category that would establish rules for data centers, before any formal application is filed. However, many residents feel the proposed rules are not strong enough to protect their community. A Change.org petition opposing the project has collected over 3,200 signatures. Concerns were raised about the lack of specifics around the project, including the number of jobs it would create and whether the facility would be a "light site" with local operations staff or a "dark site" controlled remotely. Residents also argued that any fines the city could levy against large tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Meta, or Google would be meaningless, and that the city's development authority was reluctant to over-regulate the project for fear of losing the client. City Councilman Glenn Davis made the case for the project's $5.1 billion economic impact, but residents countered that data center jobs are often temporary and that tax breaks could undermine the promised benefits. The debate has made clear that the choice may not be between having the data center or not, but rather between having it under the city's rules or seeing it built just across the county line without any local jurisdiction or community benefits.