Citizens to protest forthcoming Bells Ferry Road data center
Citizens in Marietta, Georgia, are organizing to protest a data center project on Bells Ferry Road, despite the city's clarification that no public hearing is scheduled on the matter for an upcoming council meeting. The Marietta City Council had unanimously approved the data center proposal in June 2025. Opponents are raising concerns about environmental impact, electricity and water usage, and noise, mirroring broader national protests.
Citizens in Marietta, Georgia, are planning a protest at an upcoming Marietta City Council meeting to oppose an already approved data center on Bells Ferry Road. This planned action stems from misinformation, with the City of Marietta clarifying on social media that no public hearing or discussion on data centers is scheduled for the June 10, 2026, council meeting.
The opposition is being organized partly through a website, StopCobbDataCenter.com, which urges attendees to wear red and prepare arguments, including the alleged lack of an environmental impact study before the project's initial approval. However, the Marietta City Council unanimously approved the digital data center proposal on a 30-acre undeveloped tract in June 2025. At the time, land-use attorney Kevin Moore projected the project would generate over $70 million in tax revenue and employ 40 people, though some community concerns were raised regarding impacts on nearby residential developments.
This renewed local opposition aligns with a growing national movement against artificial intelligence data centers, which cites significant electrical and water costs, noise pollution, and environmental impacts. Noted environmental activist Erin Brockovich has joined these efforts, maintaining an online map that tracks such data centers, including the Bells Ferry Road site. Additionally, several local governments in the wider metro Atlanta area, including unincorporated Cobb County, have recently enacted temporary moratoriums on data center development.