Neighbors take data center concerns to Augusta Commission

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta neighbors took their concerns about a data center to the Augusta Commission on Tuesday and came away with a promise of a meeting with elected officials.

The Hayne’s Station Concerned Residents Committee was formed after residents learned a larger-than-expected data center was going up next to the west Augusta subdivision.

They feel like they were never given a fair opportunity to weigh in on the plans.

After they made their case, Commissioner Catherine Smith-Rice said she’d like to meet with them, and Mayor Garnett Johnson agreed to join the public meeting, which should take place in 30-60 days.

Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle told the neighbors that he and other elected leaders also want more clarity – “this is going to be a learning thing for us.”

Concerns about property values and utilities

Residents are raising concerns about multiple aspects of the development.

“I think the biggest thing for the residents is the property value, the water, the power consumption,” said Charles Zabel.

Wanda Samuels, who describes her neighborhood as typically “peaceful and quiet,” said she’s worried about quality of life impacts.

“I’m really concerned about the quality of life. You know, water pressure, water safety, toxins in the water, electrical power,” Samuels said. “Why do we have to be subjected to something that’s going to disturb our peace?”

Zabel, who has military experience with similar generators, said he has concerns about noise and pollution.

“I’ve been deployed in multiple regions in the Army where these types of generators that they have had, they do pollute, they are very loud,” Zabel said. “It’s a lot of things that nobody has ever explained.”

How we got here

Neighbors say they didn’t know about the development until a News 12 report in December.

“Flying Under the Radar and I was like, all in researching, and then I put together a Zoom for the 5th of January, and that’s when we met. We all got to meet,” said Dr. Zakiya Mabery, who organized a community meeting after reading the news coverage.

Many residents moved to the area when it was undeveloped land.

“When we purchased it, it was nothing but dirt back over there. We got to select what lot we wanted,” Mabery said.

Now they’re questioning what the data center will mean for their community.

“It’s a lot of unknowns. We just wanna make sure that, you know, we’re safe, the community is safe. You know, we got kids that are growing up in this, you know, in this community as well,” said Andrew Chatman II.

A data center was announced years ago for what was then an isolated stretch along Gordon Highway just east of Grovetown.

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But then neighborhoods grew up on both sides, with the new homes occupied by people who likely knew little of the plans.

And when it seemed the idea had been abandoned, a new company stepped in and made plans for an even larger data center in a move that got little attention or news coverage.

When work began recently at the location directly behind homes on Goodale Drive and on a hill that can be seen from much of the neighborhood, some residents felt blindsided.

And that’s part of what neighbors Zakiya Mabrey and Charles Zabel conveyed to the commission Tuesday.

Among their concerns are questions about environmental impact - such as generator noise, hazardous waste, wetlands and stormwater runoff.

They note that previous filings with the state appear incomplete in addressing these matters.

And overall, they raised concerns about transparency.

They noted that even though a sign had been on the site, it reflected the earlier developer who had smaller plans.

Then even that sign was largely destroyed by Hurricane Helene, ultimately displaying little more than a slogan and logo.

The neighbors said that, contrary to state procedures, they never saw signage displaying planning and zoning meeting dates, and no signage was ever updated to reflect that the plans had expanded to six buildings covering an area about twice the size of Augusta Mall.

SEE NEIGHBORS’ PRESENTATION:

So they feel they were kept from understanding the true scale of the project, essentially shutting them out of the process.

Planning staff said the property was rezoned and approved in 2022, with required signs and newspaper notices posted, and that the current proposal only adds land to create “more buffer around wetlands.”

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Development Services Manager Kevin Boyd detailed buffer requirements: a 100-foot powerline easement on the east, a 50-foot buffer on the west, and roughly 500 feet between the northern property line and the nearest residential building

The new neighbor

The east edge of the site is perched on a hill behind homes on Goodale Drive, and the west side would stretch to the Captain’s Corner subdivision.

An application with the state states the facility is expected to consume 18,000 gallons of water per day. That’s about 900 showers.

It would also generate 9,200 gallons of wastewater a day, or about 5,750 flushes.

At least some preliminary work has apparently begun on the data center, with one older home being demolished and heavy equipment coming to the location that’s near a power substation.

According to the application to the state, the center could be completed in the second quarter of 2026.