Shadowbox Studios Sues DeKalb County Over Data Center
Shadowbox Studios and affiliate Henrico 183 LLC sued DeKalb County after the county’s zoning appeals board blocked their proposed data center at a 166-acre Atlanta-area site. The company says county staff had previously confirmed the project was permitted and is seeking millions in damages, while the proposal faces local opposition and a county moratorium on new data center applications.
Shadowbox Studios and Henrico 183 LLC filed a $30 million lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court after the DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals rejected or halted plans to replace a planned film studio expansion with a large data center at 3600 International Park Drive. The companies claim county planning staff issued written assurances between 2023 and 2025 that the data center was permitted, and they cite more than $30 million in site preparation and planning costs. Shadowbox is seeking damages tied to the alleged loss in property value, which it estimates at $200 million.
The proposed facility would require 651 megawatts of electrical capacity from Georgia Power and, according to Shadowbox director Peter Rumbold, could generate $133 million in annual local tax revenue. Opponents have criticized the project at public meetings, while DeKalb County has extended a temporary moratorium on new data center applications through March 2027 as officials develop stricter rules addressing power, water and health impacts. The lawsuit will determine whether the county’s prior assurances created a binding development right or reflected a planning error.