Hundreds decry new data center in Monroe County. Local board rejects it. Now what?

A new data center development proposed in Bolingbroke is in question after the Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board voted unanimously Monday evening against rezoning nine parcels of land for the project.

The sweltering July heat was only matched by the heat inside the Monroe County Conference Center — where the board met — as nearly 300 residents gathered largely in opposition to the project. Many of those opposed dressed in red t-shirts and applauded as speakers lambasted the data center’s potential impacts on traffic, noise, the environment and the surrounding community.

According to county documents showing the details of the proposed project, which is to be called the Bolingbroke Technology Center, the data center would sprawl across about 900 acres of land along U.S. Highway 41-S. The land is covered by dense forest and currently zoned mostly for single-family residential housing, with the occasional commercial or agricultural zoning.

For the data center to be constructed, all of the land would have to be rezoned for commercial use. While planning and zoning rejected the proposal, the county could still approve the plan.

Monroe County residents said building a data center there would pose environmental threats to the area, and irreparably damage the charming, small town vibe that initially attracted them to the county.

Margo Kenirey, who lives less than 200 feet from the area where the data center could go, said she worries about how the proposed data center could disrupt her daily life.

“Data centers generate significant noise and consume enormous amounts of power and water,” Kenirey said. “We chose our home for the quiet, the trees, and the promise of a residential neighborhood. We never imagined that view would be replaced with years of noise, dust and construction.”

According to a webpage for the project detailing the proposal, the data center would use about 1 million gallons of water each day once it’s operating at full capacity. Developers said the water will be provided by the Macon Water Authority through an agreement with Monroe County, and while MWA has said it has the capacity, it has not committed to servicing the data center.

Central Georgia EMC provided a letter promising to service the data center if it’s built. Neither the letter nor the webpage included an estimate of the data center’s daily power usage.

Others expressed concerns that the data center doesn’t fit with the area surrounding the proposed location. Jeff Ruggieri, executive director of the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission who is also a Monroe County resident, said the data center would disrupt that part of the county, which consists of wooded lots and small homes with the occasional family farm or church.

“It doesn’t take any special skill to realize this project doesn’t fit in this community,” Ruggieri said. “Bolingbroke is a wonderful community, my wife and I moved here three years ago and absolutely love it, and the reasons we moved here are exactly what you see when you come off of 41. It’s beautiful.”

According to a report from the Middle Georgia Regional Commission on the potential impacts of the project, the data center would be going on top of an environmentally sensitive area. The land is home to wetlands and several species listed on the State Wildlife Action Plan. It’s also located within a 100-year floodplain, meaning it may be at risk for flooding.

Proponents of the data center argued Monday that the project would bring jobs and revenue to the county. Otis Ingram, who owns part of the property where the data center is set to go, said the project would generate huge amounts of tax revenue for the county and attract new residents.

“It’s for the good of all of Monroe County,” Ingram said. “Data centers are the backbone of today’s economy.”

MGRC’s report estimates the data center paying an annual tax of $60 million. Ingram said the data center is not requesting any tax abatements.

Following public comment, Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board Chairman Mitchell Bunce proposed a motion to table the request, but was unable to get another board member to second the motion. Vice Chairman Chuck Benson proposed a recommendation to deny the application, which board members voted unanimously in favor of to raucous applause from the crowd.

Benson said he recommended to deny the application because he felt that the data center isn’t prepared to start construction, despite having months to work with local utilities and community members.

What’s next?

The fight for or against the data center isn’t over. The motion will now move to the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, which will vote on whether or not to approve the project at their regular meeting on Aug. 5.

If the data center is approved by the commissioners, the land will be rezoned and the project will be allowed to proceed despite the recommendation from Planning and Zoning.

Ingram along with sisters Haley Newnam and Holly doss, who own the other part of the proposed property for the data center, said in a statement Tuesday that they remain confident in their efforts to get the data center approved.

“We appreciate the Monroe County Planning & Zoning Board’s time and consideration of our rezoning request for the Bolingbroke Technology Center. While we are disappointed by the board’s recommendation, we remain confident that the Board of Commissioners will make a fact-based decision about the positive impacts this project offers to all the people of Monroe County,” the property owners said. “We will continue to engage transparently and respectfully with county leaders and residents as the process moves forward. “

This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 12:37 PM.