Coweta County approves massive 'Project Sail' data center

The Coweta County Board of Commissioners approved the rezoning of 829 acres for "Project Sail," a massive data center campus, in a narrow 3-2 vote. This approval was met with intense pushback from local residents concerned about the rural community's future and potential environmental impacts on Wahoo Creek and the Chattahoochee River. Developed by Atlas Development, LLC, the project will feature nine buildings totaling 4.34 million square feet and require 900 megawatts of power. Proponents highlighted its potential to boost the tax base, funding a new high school, and its proximity to Georgia Power's Plant Yates. The county had recently ended a data center moratorium, and the project was reviewed under a new ordinance. Despite a law firm representing citizens arguing that the approval would cause "irreparable harm" and violate due process, the project was approved with 17 strict conditions. These conditions include funding and building roundabouts at key intersections, maintaining 300-foot buffers, protecting a private cemetery, and implementing a decommissioning plan to return the land to its natural state if the facility ceases operation for 12 months.