Zoning approved for new Marietta data center

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Jason Earhart lives in a quiet townhome community off Bells Ferry Road. It backs up to a 31-acre property slated to become the site of a massive new data center.

“I’m not totally against it, but I’d rather it be a residential area more than anything,” Earhart said.

Kevin Moore is the attorney representing the developer of the project, MMM Acquisitions.

At a recent Marietta City Council meeting, Moore said the data center will house and manage computer systems, servers, data and networking equipment.

“Data centers now have become critical infrastructure supporting each and every one of our businesses, supporting each and every one of our online services, and continuing to support and advance AI,” Moore said.

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The data center will employ 40 people and over the next 10 years Moore says it’s projected to generate more than $70 million in tax revenue for the City of Marietta.

Some residents see this as a win.

“God has given us an opportunity in Marietta,” one Marietta man said during a public hearing on the data center.

“As somebody that lives here, pays taxes here, I’m totally in support of this,” another Marietta man said.

But other residents are skeptical, questioning how this could affect surrounding property values, noise levels and electricity use.

“Essentially, imagine the world’s loudest desktop computer fan running behind your house all day,” a Cobb County resident said during public comment.

“The power needs for this data center are going to be tremendous,” another Cobb County resident said during public comment.

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Moore says the data center will require a tremendous amount of power, which will come from a substation being built on the property.

The building will be cooled using a water-based “closed loop” cooling system.

Moore adds this will not come at a cost to consumers.

“The infrastructure is paid for by the developer for the data center. That cost is not passed on to Marietta power customers,” Moore said.

During a presentation in city council chambers, Moore says they plan to add trees and shrubs around the data center to create a barrier between nearby homes and apartments.

The Marietta City Council unanimously approved the rezoning of the property earlier this month. It’s unclear how long it will take for the data center to be constructed.

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