Forsyth P&Z makes no recommendation on 12M-square-foot data center. What’s next?

A 12-million-square-foot data center proposed in Forsyth is in question after the City of Forsyth Planning & Zoning Commission made no recommendation after a deadlocked Wednesday meeting.

The project, if approved and built according to preliminary plans, would be six times the size of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and use more than a million gallons of water a day, according to a development of regional impact report produced by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission. The developer pushing the project is Atlanta-based Trammell Crow Co.

In order to be constructed, developers are asking the city to rezone about 450 acres of the 1,600-acre site to agricultural, and for the city council to approve a conditional use application, which is required for data centers in agricultural zones.

The commission previously discussed the data center at its Dec. 22 meeting, and while it approved a recommendation to rezone the 450 acres, it tabled discussion of the conditional use application.

Wednesday’s meeting picked up discussion on the conditional use application, but no recommendation was made after the commission split 3-3 on a motion to recommend approving the application.

Commission Chairman Steve Coleman recused himself from the vote, citing previous association with H&H Timber Co,. the owner of the property, who is working with Trammell Crow Co..

Commissioners who voted in favor of recommending the project argued that the city needs the tax revenue to fund the school system and infrastructure improvements.

“(The property) is going to be developed one way or the other, and what you need to do is choose the lesser of two evils,” said Commissioner Chris Soule, who supported the project. “We’ve got schools, we’ve got all these projects.”

Meanwhile, those who opposed the project said it could negatively affect residents and the environment.

Commissioner Kathy Rowland, who opposed the project, worried that it would be an island in an otherwise residential area, and create noise and pollution for those who live there.

“My reservations are with that island out there,” Rowland said. “It is surrounded by county residents, and there’s no benefit to them whatsoever.”

Commissioners discussed placing conditions on the recommendation to approve — including monthly checks on groundwater level and quality, an increased buffer between data center buildings and surrounding homes, and a requirement to break ground within five years of the conditional use application’s approval — but the commission remained tied.

Commissioner Noah Harbuck, who supported the project, moved to adjourn the meeting without a recommendation.

The planning & zoning commission only makes recommendations to the city council, which ultimately will decide whether the data center is constructed. The city council is set to vote on the project at its regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 2.