Film, production studio wants DeKalb County to allow data center construction
Shadowbox Studios, a film production company, is seeking to build a data center in DeKalb County, Georgia, despite facing a zoning denial from county staff and an ongoing data center moratorium. The studio has filed a lawsuit challenging the moratorium's legality and is appealing the zoning decision. Residents have until September 3rd to provide comments on the proposed project, and a county commissioner is advocating for an environmental health study into data center impacts.
Shadowbox Studios, a film production studio in DeKalb County, Georgia, is pushing to construct a data center on land initially set aside for its studio expansion. The studio requires the county to amend its data center policy and is asking the Independent Zoning Board of Appeals to reverse a county staff decision denying its construction bid.
Shadowbox Studios has filed a lawsuit, claiming they had prior approval for data centers and have already spent millions of dollars on planning the project. They assert the county's data center moratorium is illegal and seek a judge's ruling to allow construction. DeKalb County Commissioners have repeatedly extended the moratorium, with the latest temporary ban in effect through early 2027.
Commissioner Ted Terry expressed opposition, stating the proposed location is not suitable and would add heavy industrial use to an inappropriate area. He is advocating for a third-party environmental health study to assess the impacts of data centers, aiming for any future regulations in DeKalb County to be grounded in facts and science. DeKalb County residents have until September 3rd to submit comments regarding the proposed data center in South DeKalb.