Hundreds of residents throughout southwest Atlanta turned out in droves Monday night at the Georgia State University Convocation Center to debate a data center development being planned for their community. The project, which would be built near the West End MARTA station, has led to divisiveness amongst new and legacy residents in the southwest neighborhoods […]
data centers
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
The Data Center Atlanta Thought Was Dead Is Back on the Table
A data center proposal that was previously shot down has resurfaced in southwest Atlanta along with the debate over land use, equity, and who benefits from development in historically disinvested communities. The project, planned for a site near the West End MARTA station and bordering communities like Adair Park, Pittsburgh, and Mechanicsville, has been hotly […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Organize, Educate, Win: How Atlanta Residents Are Blocking Data Centers
From DeKalb County to Southwest Atlanta in Fulton County, residents are organizing against the rapid expansion of data centers. Some Atlantans are fighting back and logging small and major wins to protect their communities from what they say are the harmful impacts of the data center boom here in metro Atlanta. “We’ve really been pretty […]
Posted inNews
Homelessness, Police Shooting, Data Centers: Top 10 Atlanta Stories of 2025
From City Hall to Magic City, Capital B Atlanta reporters covered breaking news, secured exclusive interviews with newsmakers, unearthed painful history, and published groundbreaking enterprise stories that resonated online and on social media. Here are our top 10 stories of the year. Georgia is quietly working on building the largest ICE facility in the country, […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Georgia Power Expansion for Data Centers Greenlit, Sparking Outrage
State regulators gave Georgia Power permission on Friday to massively expand its power plant facilities across the state. The decision came despite vocal opposition from environmental justice groups, who argue the project — aimed at ensuring future data center owners have the energy they need to operate — could cause people’s energy bills to rise […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services, State Politics
Georgia Power’s $16 Billion Data Center Push Could Mean Higher Costs for Residents
A Georgia Power proposal that would allow one of the largest energy infrastructure projects in state history crossed a major regulatory hurdle on Wednesday. The Public Service Commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff division approved a Georgia Power stipulation agreement that would greenlight construction of enough new power plant facilities to generate an additional 10,000 megawatts […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
South DeKalb Residents Protest Data Center Plan, Delay Vote
A vote on new data center regulations in DeKalb County has been postponed to Dec.16 after a heated zoning meeting Thursday where residents shouted grievances, demanded answers, and some were removed from the chamber. The deferral underscores the growing frustration of South DeKalb communities — particularly Black neighborhoods like Ellenwood, where a large-scale data center […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Georgia’s Data Centers Are Multiplying Fast — and Largely Untracked
Georgia’s data center expansion is rapidly transforming the state’s economic and physical landscape, from metro Atlanta to rural counties. Major tech companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are investing heavily in the Peach State, buying up land and building massive server farms to power the digital age. Rising utility bills and environmental impacts caused by […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Black Community in South Fulton Fights Georgia’s Data Center Boom
When Yvonne Cole Boone bought her home in South Fulton in 2018, she envisioned a peaceful retirement surrounded by family and friends, spending her days planting new flowers and fruit in her front-yard garden. Her house, nestled in an expansive residential community called Oakley Township, is in a neighborhood Boone says her family naturally fits […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Money, Politics & Policy
Amazon’s $270 Million Land Deal Sparks Data Center Concerns in Georgia
Last month, Amazon purchased around 1,000 acres of land south of Atlanta for possible data center development as the state continues to be at the forefront of the fast-growing industry of digital storage space. The deal was between a subsidiary of Amazon called Amazon Data Services and High Falls 75 LLC, the developer behind the […]