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Lovejoy mayor says city will not host a data center as regional DRI review is launched
Summary
Lovejoy Mayor Marci Fluellyn told the Clayton County Board of Commissioners that Lovejoy will not host a proposed data center and invited regional participation in a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) review. Following the meeting, the developer formally withdrew the application, and the Lovejoy City Council acknowledged the withdrawal and initiated updates to local data center zoning ordinances.
Mayor Marci Fluellyn of Lovejoy told the Clayton County Board of Commissioners that the city does not support siting the contested data center in Lovejoy and is organizing a regional DRI review so neighboring jurisdictions can coordinate ordinances and responses. "We do not have plans for a data center to come to Lovejoy," she said.
The mayor described the DRI as an impact study intended to give elected bodies and the public the information needed to update ordinances and reach a regional decision. She said invitations will go to Clayton County mayors, the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, school principals, GDOT, the state environmental agency, and local utilities, and she urged a unified, all-hands approach. Dominique Huff, founder of the 770 initiative, also spoke in support of regional engagement and promoted a Sept. 12 community festival connected to the outreach.
Several commissioners and residents pressed for specific facts about how the parcel in question was annexed and rezoned. One commissioner said her office had received more than 760 constituent emails about the site and asked whether the annexation (listed in the meeting as October 2024) and subsequent rezoning were properly handled. Attorney Wiggins explained that the annexation occurred prior to the county moratorium and that, under state zoning law, property annexed with an "ANX" designation retains its prior county zoning for at least one year unless rezoned later.
Mayor Fluellyn stressed that the DRI approach is intended to avoid a "knee-jerk" response and to provide consistent documentation jurisdictions can use when updating ordinances. Residents at the meeting continued to call for transparency and for city-level moratoriums where municipalities want them.
Update — Application Withdrawal and Project Status:
Following the July 21 meeting, the developer, Stillwater, formally withdrew its data center application and withdrew from the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process on August 5, 2026. On August 6, 2026, the Lovejoy City Council held a Special Called Meeting, formally accepting the withdrawal and authorizing the City Attorney to begin updating Lovejoy’s zoning ordinance regarding data center uses. As a result, the proposed Lovejoy data center project is no longer an active or pending development.
Next steps: While the proposed project is no longer active following the developer's withdrawal, Lovejoy city leaders authorized the City Attorney to begin updating local zoning ordinances regarding data center uses. Clayton County commissioners said they would continue public engagement, and one commissioner announced a county-hosted public forum the following evening to explain data centers and their local impacts.
