Bessemer sends letter to halt data center construction as homeowners approached to sell
Bessemer Mayor Louise Alexander says the city sent QTS a cease letter seeking to halt work on a planned data center until the developer obtains required city permits. Nearby homeowners, some of whom say they were approached about selling their properties, are opposing the project over concerns about noise, blasting and impacts on their community.
Residents near QTS’s planned data center in Bessemer say they have been approached about selling their homes, with some reporting deadlines associated with potential property transactions. Tina Mann, who has lived in a home she and her husband built near Rock Mountain Lake Road since 1992, said they have opposed the project before the Bessemer City Council for about two years and remain uncertain whether to sell.
Bessemer Mayor Louise Alexander said the city sent QTS a cease letter and wants construction activity to stop until the developer completes the city’s permitting process. Construction was still occurring after the letter was delivered, and Alexander said city officials planned to meet with QTS. Jefferson County Commissioner Jimmie Stephens said the county is considering protections for nearby residents, including a proposed 1,000-foot vegetative buffer, although the data center is within Bessemer city limits and much of the county’s authority is limited to impacts on unincorporated areas and access routes.