Data centers have become prevalent in metro Atlanta in the last few years; however, they haven’t made much news in Henry County. That could soon change because a 1.25 million square foot facility wants to build off Rocky Creek Road in McDonough.
The new data center is proposed on 148 acres. It would be off Georgia 20 west of I-75.
What Are Data Centers?
First, what are data centers? According to Amazon Web Services, ”a data center is a physical location that stores computing machines and their related hardware equipment. It contains the computing infrastructure that IT systems require, such as servers, data storage drives, and network equipment. It is the physical facility that stores any company’s digital data.” In short, its a building full of computers to house the internet.
Second, when did data centers gain traction in Georgia? The Atlanta market has grown in recent years, because of the availability of land and power supply. In addition, data center companies turned south when Northern Virginia, the country’s largest data center hub, began to hit power constraints. Finally, Facebook’s decision to locate a data center in Newton County in 2018 gave the region a boost in major companies’ considerations.
According to CBRE research, Atlanta is now the nation’s sixth-largest data center market. In addition, space under construction as of the end of 2023 will more than double what’s available in the peach state. When these projects come online, Atlanta could be the nation’s second-largest market.
Data centers can locate in what are otherwise industrial buildings. They can also locate in office buildings. Local governments encourage their development for a few reasons:
- they create high-paying IT jobs within the community,
- data centers provide a high amount of property tax revenue because of the IT equipment cost and value, offsetting the local tax digest, and
- they produce little to no truck traffic after construction is complete, different than a typical industrial project.
Baxtel.com reports there are not presently any data centers in Henry County. In nearby Fayette County, construction began last year on a 7 million square feet data center campus. It spans 612 acres on highway 54.
Rocky Creek Road Data Center
On May 3, 2024, Henry County submitted a development of regional impact (DRI) application on behalf of Red Wolf DCD Properties, LLC. The DRI application is for a 1.25 million square feet data center on Rocky Creek Road. The DRI allows state agencies to review large development projects before their construction.
The proposed data center requires a rezoning request and comp plan amendment to build. Such requests must present to the zoning board and county commissioners. Those meeting dates are to be determined.
Limited information is known right now about the project. 0 Rocky Creek Road, LLC owns 148.3 acres at the southeast corner of state route 20 and Rocky Creek Road. They purchased the property for $1.675 million in December 2023.
The DRI review can take about four to six months to complete. The board of commissioners may not consider the project until such review is complete. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
Featured image shows a data center in Lithia Springs, GA. Costar photo.
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