Atlanta, State Lamenting Data Center Growth

Georgia state lawmakers are trying to put the brakes on the proliferation of data centers spreading throughout the state, especially in the Atlanta metro area. A CBRE report suggested the region experienced a 211% increase in data center projects under construction between 2022 to 2023, the largest increase in the nation.

The Georgia Senate has voted to suspend tax breaks for data centers while a special commission reviews grid capacity in the state. The bill has already been passed in the state house. Georgia has given data center operators an exemption from the state’s sales tax since 2018. Besides overloading the grid, lawmakers commented that the centers hire few workers, in relation to the tax breaks they receive.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that Atlanta City Councilmembers all signed onto legislation that would ban data centers from being built within the BeltLine Overlay District and within a half-mile of transit stations. Councilmembers bemoaned the fact that data centers are taking up space that could be used for other uses.