WBRC requests records connected to proposed data center development in Brookwood

WBRC has filed a public records request with the City of Brookwood, Alabama, seeking information on a proposed two-million-square-foot data center development that has raised questions among local residents. The investigation revealed a permit application granted by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) connected to Applied Digital Corporation, a Dallas-based company. However, Applied Digital stated that no final decision has been made regarding the project, which is slated for Brookwood Industrial Parkway near Brookwood Middle School.

City records provided by Brookwood officials detail planning and zoning meetings from 2025 and 2026 concerning the rezoning of the industrial land. These documents list business entities such as Evolve Energy Partners, LLC, EEP Tuscaloosa, LLC, and property owner Alawest, AL, LLC, as applicants or petitioners involved in the rezoning efforts, initially under the project name "Project Evolve." Despite these detailed filings, the city could not confirm if specific actions were taken on the rezoning requests and did not have filings directly naming Applied Digital.

Brookwood Mayor Joe Barger recently confirmed during a city council meeting that the proposed development is an AI data center, but stressed that no signed project agreement exists yet. Barger also addressed a non-disclosure agreement he signed, explaining it was common economic practice through the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority (TCEDA) to protect trade secrets. He defended pursuing such economic opportunities, arguing they could attract essential services like grocery stores and medical facilities to the community, and suggested that without local initiative, the City of Tuscaloosa might oversee the development without local input.