Denver-based Vantage Data Centersplans to construct two large warehouses stuffed with computer servers in the city of South Fulton, according to recently filed state paperwork. The two facilities will combine to house nearly 1.5 million square feet of data center space, which is more floor space than Bank of America Plaza — the tallest building in Atlanta.
The two proposals are the latest in a wave of active data center projects and expansions in metro Atlanta, which have become thehottest use for undeveloped industrial land in the region. Data center development has been rampant in the past few years as companies scramble for more computer server storage space, especially given the demands and growing prominence of artificial intelligence.
But the projects create few permanent jobs and tend to be water and power hogs, critics say.
Since 2023, data center construction in metro Atlanta has increased 211%, which is the fastest among major data center markets across the country, according to real estate services firm CBRE. Data center developers cite the Atlanta area’s land availability, power grid, workforce and government incentive programs for the uptick in new construction, but their proliferation has raised concerns about their power consumption and water usage.
Vantage, which proposed its first data center campus near Atlanta last year, did not respond to a request for comment. The company’s first project in Douglasville is poised to span 1.7 million square feet across three buildings — which is bigger collectively than Atlanta’s Lenox Square mall — and that project is expected to open by the end of 2025.
The two new proposals were detailed in development of regional impact (DRI) filings, which are required state paperwork for large projects that impact multiple jurisdictions. A nearly 697,000-square-foot data center was pitched for undeveloped land southwest of Stacks and Mallory roads, while a roughly 754,000-square-foot facility was proposed for undeveloped property west of Plummer Road and north of Riverside Drive.
Located 10 miles apart, the projects are namedStacks Road and Westlake, respectively. They are in their permit-seeking phases. The Stacks Road facility is slated to open by January 2027, with the Westlake project opening a year later.
Neither DRI disclosed an anticipated build-out value for their associated data center. While these facilities typically only employ a few dozen workers once they’re operational, the complexes are usually appraised as worth hundreds of millions — if not billions — of dollars due to the expensive equipment inside.
For example, technology giant Microsoft is pursuing a $1.8 billion data center campus in Union City. The project, which ranks among the largest projects on Atlanta’s Southside, received a $75 million tax breakfrom the Development Authority of Fulton County.
© 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
