Residents push back as proposed Marietta data center moves forward

The Marietta Planning Commission has voted 4-3 in favor of rezoning 10 acres of land for a proposed 12-megawatt data center. The facility is planned for an existing self-storage site along Delk Road, near Interstate 75 and Powers Ferry Place.

Parks Huff, attorney for the unnamed developer, argued that the data computing center is critically needed due to latency issues and that the location is ideal because of its proximity to existing utility power, cable, and internet infrastructure.

Despite the developer's arguments, local residents voiced significant opposition during the commission meeting. Resident Susan Clark requested a moratorium on data center development in Marietta, advocating for additional studies. Another resident, Joel Becker, stated that the project was "throwing some massive wrong thing into our city" and that voters would remember this decision at the polls.

Following the narrow approval by the planning commission, the proposal will be recommended to the Marietta City Council, which is scheduled to consider the matter at its meeting on July 8. The discussion on this data center project occurs amid wider conversations across metro Atlanta, where several communities have implemented moratoriums on data center development due to concerns over power and water usage, traffic, environmental impacts, and noise.