Developers Propose 17M SF Of New Georgia Data Centers
Trammell Crow Co. is the latest developer to signal ambitions for a data center megaproject in the Peach State.
The CBRE-owned development giant filed an application to build an 8.1M SF data center campus at White Oak Technology Park near Augusta. It is the second proposal in as many weeks to add a project of that size to the state's skyrocketing supply of digital infrastructure, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Another developer, represented by civil engineering firm Kimley-Horn, declared its intent to build a $19B, 8.7M SF data center campus in Bartow County, roughly an hour northwest of Downtown Atlanta.
That project, dubbed Project Bunkhouse, would be the largest data center development in the state, according to the AJC. Both have expected construction timelines that would stretch a decade or more.
Combined they add nearly 17M SF to the state's digital infrastructure pipeline, which is already the fastest-growing of any market in the country.
Atlanta had 2,159 megawatts under construction at the end of last year, and users of data centers leased a net of 705.8 MW, surpassing Northern Virginia in absorption for the first time, according to CBRE. Its inventory more than tripled between 2023 and 2024.
Trammell Crow's planned data center project spans more than 1,900 acres in the Columbia County-owned White Oak Technology Park. County Commissioner Alison Couch posted her support for the project on Facebook last week.
“I have been researching Technology Parks for months, to include on-site visits to multiple data centers in the state,” she wrote. “Based on my observations, I have concluded this use of land offers extremely low overall impact to the surrounding area, while generating tremendous tax revenues in return. I believe this to be the best possible type of development on this property, that we could hope for.”
The project is expected to cater to cybersecurity firms, digital infrastructure, research and development and advanced technology, according to its Development of Regional Impact application with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Industrial, distribution and residential uses won't be permitted, which will minimize traffic and infrastructure impacts, Couch wrote.
There is growing concern that the rapid development of data centers could strain the state's power grid, and state legislators have tried to pass laws forcing the owners of the properties to pay more for the energy they consume.
Project Bunkhouse, which would be built on a nearly 900-acre site adjacent to a coal power plant in Bartow County, could consume 1,830 MW at full build-out — more than the amount that powers the city of Atlanta, the AJC reported.
Both projects are being planned on land controlled by their respective county development authorities and are expected to strike deals for potentially millions in tax breaks, according to the AJC.
