'Informal meeting' draws opposition to proposed data center
Bartow County residents voiced strong opposition at an informal community meeting regarding Oakley Real Estate Partners' proposal to build a 374,000-square-foot data center. The project requires rezoning 111.4 acres from agricultural to industrial, and residents expressed concerns about various impacts, including water usage and environmental protection. A formal zoning hearing is scheduled for July 27, with a final decision by Commissioner Steve Taylor on August 5.
Oakley Real Estate Partners is proposing a "micro-scale" data center project spanning approximately 374,000 square feet across two buildings on 111.4 acres off Brown Farm Road in Bartow County, Georgia. The company, represented by attorney Lester Tate of Akin & Tate P.C. and engineer William Latta of Thomas & Hutton, is seeking to rezone the land from A-1 agricultural to Business Park District and change its land use designation to industrial. Principal Reid Hanner highlighted the project's smaller scale compared to mega-centers, voluntary zoning conditions like a 450,000 square feet cap, 200-foot residential setbacks, dark sky lighting, and a ban on cryptocurrency mining. The facility would use closed-loop cooling, estimated to consume only 10,000 gallons of water annually, equivalent to a residential pool. Hanner also noted the site's proximity to existing industrial developments and Plant Bowen, suggesting adequate power infrastructure.
A recent informal community meeting at the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce on July 15 drew a standing-room-only crowd of concerned Bartow residents, all of whom spoke in opposition to the project. The meeting was described as emotional and contentious, with resident Marty Knight, a known data center critic, leading some of the objections and questioning the meeting's advertisement. Residents raised concerns about water usage, the historical importance of the land near the Etowah River, and the adequacy of public notification for the meeting.
The Bartow County Planning Commission (BCPC) will hold a public hearing on the rezoning request on July 27 at 6 p.m. The BCPC's recommendation will then go to Commissioner Steve Taylor, who is slated to make a final decision on August 5 at 10 a.m. Both meetings are to be held at the Frank Moore Administration and Judicial Center.