Backyard Battle: Foxborough community voices concerns over possible data center
Lowndes County, Georgia, recently rezoned a 719-acre tract to permit data center development, prompting significant opposition from Foxborough community residents. Concerns center on potential noise, water and energy usage, and impacts on property values. Although no formal data center proposal has been submitted, the county board is aware of a private property owner's discussions with a data center company, while residents continue to voice their concerns.
Residents of the Foxborough community in Lowndes County, Georgia, are raising strong concerns and displaying yard signs opposing a potential data center development. This comes after the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners voted on July 8, 2025, to rezone approximately 719 acres on Coleman Road from Crossroads Commercial and Conservation District to Light Manufacturing and Conservation District.
Under the county's Unified Land Development Code, data centers are a permitted use in Light Manufacturing zones. However, the Board of Commissioners clarified that this rezoning, known as REZ-2025-11, does not constitute automatic approval for any specific data center project, and no formal development application has yet been submitted. The county also stated that no county employee or elected official has signed non-disclosure agreements related to a data center project.
Residents like Joel Dion and Jim Reiman voiced fears about noise pollution, increased water and energy usage, rising energy bills, traffic, and decreased property values. They contend that positive information about data centers primarily originates from the industry itself and that key questions from the community remain unanswered by the county. Residents have worked with commissioners to share input from data center ordinances in other jurisdictions.
Though the rezoning was approved with seven conditions—including a 200-foot buffer, shielded lighting, and noise limits—the county emphasizes that any data center proposal would undergo rigorous review, including a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) assessment and a Technical Review Committee (TRC) process involving multiple state and county departments. The county acknowledges its general light manufacturing standards are