Residents sue county government, developer over $17B data center construction

Nineteen residents of Coweta County, Georgia, have filed a lawsuit against the Coweta County government and data center developer Atlas Development, seeking to halt the $17 billion "Project Sail" data center. The lawsuit, filed in Coweta County Superior Court, requests a declaratory judgment to block the project, which would encompass nearly 830 acres. The plaintiffs allege that the county's zoning approval for Project Sail disregarded local rules and state regulations. Key claims include that previously submitted plans were inaccurate, failing to identify 103 acres of wetlands, misstating power and water requirements, and not noting proximity to a significant groundwater recharge area. Residents also contend that amendments made by Atlas Development in an "effort to be more compliant" with a recent data center ordinance should have triggered a new state-level Development of Regional Impact filing, which the county denied. Project Sail was first proposed in late 2024 by Atlas Development. The Coweta County Board of Commissioners had previously enacted and extended a moratorium on data centers while considering regulations. Despite this, the commission ultimately approved Project Sail. The residents' lawsuit now seeks to waive sovereign immunity for the county, uphold public due process rights, and requests a trial to appeal the project's permits and contest property seizures. County officials declined to comment on the pending litigation.