Douglas County commissioners deny special-use permit for Rockhouse Road data center after heated public comment

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to deny a special-use permit for a proposed data center and a five-acre electrical substation at 2250 Rockhouse Road.

Planning staff told the joint Planning and Zoning Board and commissioners that the applicant, Big Power Developments 5 LLC, seeks a data center exceeding 50,000 square feet and a new utility substation and that staff recommended denial because the project "may adversely affect the public health, safety, or welfare," conflicts with the county's Unified Development Code and would harm adjacent residential neighborhoods and an on-site lake. Allison Duncan, planning and zoning manager, emphasized screening and environmental concerns and said the county received agency impact statements detailing potential impacts.

Representatives for the applicant said they reduced the building footprint from earlier proposals, added a 100-foot undisturbed buffer and signed a community benefit agreement with the Parkside Community Association. Attorney Bob Kaufman said the site is already zoned light industrial and argued the project fits the county's land-use designation. Engineer John Wise described line-of-sight and landscaping plans, saying the closest house would be roughly 385 feet from the building and that the substation sits 25 to 30 feet below Rockhouse Road.

But dozens of residents told the boards they opposed the project, citing noise from generators, diesel particulate pollution, water and drainage concerns, traffic and declining quality of life. "I'm here today to oppose any additional data centers in Douglasville," said Margaret White, a health-care provider who warned of potential respiratory and cardiovascular effects she said are linked in some studies to diesel exhaust. Parkside HOA president Malcolm Cole told the boards the neighborhood ultimately endorsed the project after engagement with the developer, but many nearby residents urged denial.

Commissioner Kenneth Jones said he drove the area recently and found the site highly visible from nearby roads and that construction would add years of disruptive truck traffic. He urged his colleagues to support denial: "I would just ask that my fellow commissioners join in a denial of this project because it's unacceptable." Planning and Zoning moved to deny the request, and the Commission subsequently voted 5-0 to deny S2025-13.

The denial means the developer must either revise the proposal or pursue other sites; planning staff noted that a private community benefit agreement cannot be enforced as a condition of zoning. The record shows staff and the boards considered line-of-sight studies, buffer designs and agency impact statements before the vote.