Council member Antonio Lewis introduced legislation that would have amended the law passed by City Council in September that prohibits data centers from being built near the Beltline and within a half mile of MARTA rail stations.
The change would have paved the way for a new data center in the city that’s seen a massive increase of computer storage farms, including multiple controversial projects in fast-changing urban areas.
But residents in the Historic West End and Adair Park neighborhoods spoke out passionately against the potential development that would have sat on 10 acres near MARTA’s West End station.
“We don’t feel like it adds to the vitality of the neighborhood,” said Shayna Barley, vice president of the Westview Community Organization. “In the city, land is scarce and the property is adjacent to a transit system that’s meant to move people in and out.”
“Having a facility that does not take advantage of transit just doesn’t seem to make sense,” she said.
Lewis announced he planned to table the legislation ahead of public comment, where many signed up to speak against the project.
“My office did hear the calls and did hear the cries,” he said.
Even Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens voiced his opposition to the idea. In a letter to City Council sent Monday, Dickens said that data centers limit jobs and put a heavy strain on utilities — the industry is known for consuming large amounts of water.
“Understanding the stress put on local systems, negative impact on our communities, our goals for people-centered urban development, and the regional impacts of data centers on shared natural resources, I cannot support” the legislation, Dickens said.
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