MARIETTA, Ga. — The Marietta City Council approved a plan for a 31-acre data center campus to be built on Bells Ferry Road.
According to documents submitted to the city council for review, the site would include a data center and substation.
The city staff said the property in question is situated along Interstate 75 with access exclusively from Bells Ferry Road and is largely undeveloped.
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The only items currently on the property are a cell tower at the center and five billboards along the interstate.
“The campus will feature two buildings, with one building measuring 213,600 square feet and the other 133,600 square feet, a four (4)-acre substation to support operations, and a detention pond designed to manage stormwater runoff effectively,” according to documents reviewed by city staff.
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In terms of the financial impacts of the project, city staff analysis said “The proposed data center campus represents a significant opportunity to enhance the property’s economic use. This development is anticipated to generate considerable tax revenue for both the City of Marietta and the Marietta City School System.”
However, staff also expressed concern about impacts to the area surrounding the data center, such as how nearby residential properties could be affected.
In a location near the proposed data center, a residential neighborhood called “Greenhouse” is under construction, and another called Barrington Overlook is already in place.
Multiple variances would be needed to meet the needs of city and county ordinances, according to the staff analysis.
“Given the proximity to surrounding residential properties, variances related to setbacks, landscape buffers, building height and tree density should be strongly discouraged to minimize the potential impacts on nearby areas,” staff wrote. “While it appears the development proposal responds to the regulations, closer inspection reveals the contrary, leading Staff to contend additional variances are needed (and should be questioned).”
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the developer for more information on the data center project.
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