Development Authority will not sell land to data center developer
The Development Authority of Bryan County rejected LN Compute’s request to buy 19 acres in Richmond Hill for a proposed 30-megawatt AI and high-performance computing data center. The project would have required zoning approval or an appeal, but the authority said it is not pursuing data centers and would not sell the property.
The Development Authority of Bryan County declined to sell a roughly 19-acre parcel at Belfast Commerce Park in Richmond Hill to LN Compute, which proposed a 30-megawatt artificial intelligence and high-performance computing data center. The project was estimated to require a $150 million investment and create 20 permanent jobs. LN Compute CEO Eric Yao said the facility would use closed-loop liquid cooling and would not require municipal water for cooling or withdraw groundwater.
Development Authority CEO Ryan Purvis said the board reached a consensus against the sale after an executive session and wanted to give LN Compute a direct response. Richmond Hill Planning and Zoning Director Brian Crooks said the proposed use was not allowed under the 2013 Belfast Commerce planned unit development without an appeal or determination by local zoning officials. Because LN Compute needed authorization from the landowner before applying for zoning approval, the authority’s decision effectively ended the proposal at that site.