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Data Center Watch Report · ZIP 30214

Fayetteville

Fayette

Under constructionZIP 50.9% Blackpop 32,003county 25.2% Black

Under construction (partial operations; Microsoft tenant reported live)

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (15 resident reports, 2026-04-28→2026-06-18) · ZIP demographics: 50.9% Black, pop 32,003 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Fayette (25.2% Black) Status: Under construction (partial operations; Microsoft tenant reported live)

This report is research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice.

0. Snapshot

QTS Data Centers (owned by Blackstone) is building what it markets as one of the world's largest multi-tenant data center campuses on ~615 acres just west of downtown Fayetteville. Internally called "Project Excalibur." Planned: up to 16 buildings, ~7 million sq ft (≈6.6M sq ft of data hall + ~400,000 sq ft office), up to 250 MW of critical IT capacity, up to ~$1 billion invested, up to ~1,000 permanent jobs claimed. Construction began 2023; full build-out projected ~2032. At least one building is reportedly operating as a Microsoft AI facility. ZIP 30214 is majority-Black (50.9%) inside a county that is only 25.2% Black — the environmental-justice pattern this project documents.

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

  • Developer/owner: QTS Realty Trust (Blackstone portfolio company). Site work by Plateau Excavation; power customer of Georgia Power.
  • Location: 615-acre former farmland site, roughly 22–25 miles south of downtown Atlanta, in/around Fayetteville. Rezoning coverage placed data-center parcels near Tyrone Road / mid-county; land was assembled and sold by the Fayette County Development Authority. QTS paid just under $154 million ($250,000/acre).
  • Scale: Up to 16 buildings; ~7M sq ft total; up to 250 MW. Marketed by trade press as potentially the largest multi-tenant campus in the world.
  • Tenant: Reporting indicates a Microsoft AI "superfactory"/AI building already open on the campus.
  • Status: Under construction with partial operations; full build-out ~2030–2032.
  • The border: ZIP 30214 is the majority-Black core of Fayetteville. Rezoning hearings drew residents of nearby rural neighborhoods who objected to a campus of this scale next to homes. Exact parcel-to-home distances not independently verified as of 2026-08-02.

2. Public Hearings & Notices

  • 2022–2023: Fayette County / City of Fayetteville rezoning and annexation actions. The Citizen reported a 5–0 rezoning vote enabling a 250 MW / ~1.5M sq ft (initial phase) data-center use on Tyrone Road; up to ~24 residents spoke, some in tears, urging officials to reject a data center next to a rural neighborhood.
  • Sept 2023: Fayetteville considered zoning changes for the mid-county construction project (The Citizen, 2023-09-19).
  • The City maintains a "Data Center Discussion" page: https://www.fayetteville-ga.gov/746/Data-Center-Discussion (could not be machine-fetched 2026-08-02; residents should open it directly for the city's official statements and any meeting notices).
  • A separate Fayetteville-area data-center project was reported "halted" after developers withdrew an appeal — verify whether this is a distinct site from QTS before relying on it. Not fully verified as of 2026-08-02.

3. Power

  • Serving utility: Georgia Power.
  • State oversight: The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2025 approved rules requiring new large-load customers over 100 MW (data centers) to sign contracts filed with the PSC and to pay the transmission/distribution costs their projects trigger, so that existing residential customers are shielded. QTS is one of six large-load customers publicly named (with Meta, Microsoft, Google, X, Walmart).
  • PSC Data Center Fact Sheet: https://psc.ga.gov/site/downloads/datacenterfactsheet.pdf
  • Specific substation/transmission build-out figures for the Fayetteville campus: Not found as of 2026-08-02 — ask Georgia Power public affairs and check PSC large-load contract filings.

4. Water & Drought

  • QTS says the operating campus uses a closed-loop cooling system (target ~9,000–12,000 gallons/month once operational).
  • Construction-phase water is the live controversy. Atlanta News First (2026-07-13) reported records showing roughly 109 million gallons drawn across 13 water lines/meters since February 2024 (one meter alone ~20.6M gallons) for dust control, concrete, and site prep — "nearly 5,500 backyard pools." QTS and Fayette County said the county's own letter was "unclear," causing "misunderstandings about how much water QTS is allowed to use"; the county cited smart-meter/billing upgrades. County said this is under ~1% of monthly supply and will decline as construction ends (~2030).
  • Drought: As of mid-July 2026, ~33% of Georgia was in active drought (D1–D2) with much of the state abnormally dry (D0). Check current Fayette County status weekly: https://www.drought.gov/states/georgia/county/fayette and https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu.

5. Population & Who Lives Here

  • ZIP 30214: 50.9% Black, population 32,003 (Census ACS 2023). A majority-Black ZIP inside Fayette County, which is 25.2% Black — the campus and its water/power burden sit on the Black side of an otherwise-whiter county.
  • Fayette County is relatively affluent for exurban Atlanta; detailed poverty/health-burden data for ZIP 30214 specifically: Not compiled as of 2026-08-02.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

  • Land deal: Fayette County Development Authority sold the ~615 acres to QTS for ~$154M; the Authority reports it became financially self-sufficient, netting ~$430,000/year.
  • Property tax: QTS property taxes exceeded $1 million in 2024 (vs. ~$31,000 the county-owned land would have generated in 2016). QTS project estimates project $150–$200 million/year in real-property tax revenue and ~$170M in sales tax at full build-out — figures to treat as company projections, not audited outcomes.
  • Financing: QTS marketed a $4.6 billion, 10-year "green bond" (Baa2, Moody's; arranged by JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo) to refinance/build the campus.
  • Jobs: Up to ~1,000 claimed; permanent operating headcount for hyperscale campuses is typically far smaller than construction peaks. Independent jobs verification: Not found as of 2026-08-02.
  • Formal PILOT / fee-in-lieu abatement terms (Development Authority bond-lease structure is common in GA but exact terms not confirmed here): Not fully verified as of 2026-08-02 — request the Development Authority's bond/lease and any tax-abatement schedule.

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

  • The Citizen (thecitizen.com) — primary local outlet; covered the rezoning hearings and resident opposition.
  • fayette-news.net — "Fayetteville Council Approves Agreement with QTS."
  • Atlanta News First — 2026-07-13 investigation into water use ("Records raise questions about Georgia's largest data center and its water use").
  • DataCenterDynamics, Urbanize Atlanta, Construction Equipment Guide, ASBN — trade/regional coverage of scale and financing.
  • Organized opposition, petitions, or lawsuits specific to the QTS site: Not found as of 2026-08-02 beyond the residents who spoke at hearings.

8. Find Out For Yourself

City of Fayetteville

Fayette County

State

  • Georgia PSC (power costs / large-load contracts): https://psc.ga.gov — data-center docket and fact sheet.
  • Georgia Power public affairs (substation/transmission for the campus).
  • Georgia EPD (water withdrawal/discharge permits).

Questions to ask:

  1. What are the exact PILOT/bond-lease and property-tax terms, and when does full taxation begin?
  2. How many gallons/day is QTS permitted to draw during construction, and from which source — and who audits it during drought?
  3. What substations/transmission lines are being built for the campus, and under the PSC rule, who pays?
  4. How many permanent jobs exist on-site today, and what do they pay?
  5. What are the setback distances to the nearest homes, and are there noise/light/backup-generator limits in the zoning conditions?
  6. Was any of the resident opposition addressed in binding conditions, or only noted?

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

This is an active, very large hyperscale build in the majority-Black part of Fayetteville. Realistic considerations: construction-phase truck traffic, noise, and dust for years; a documented dispute over how much water the site draws during a drought-prone period; large new transmission infrastructure; and possible land-price pressure near the campus. On the other side, Georgia's PSC rule is designed to keep data-center costs off residential power bills, and the county reports significant new tax revenue. Unresolved as of 2026-08-02: exact home-to-fence-line distances, binding water limits during drought, permanent job counts, and the full abatement terms. Verify current conditions with the city, county, and Georgia Power before making any decision.

10. Sources

Lead source: resident reports on the Brockovich AI Data Center community map, then independently verified against public records. Research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice. Some resident-reported pins remain uncorroborated and are labeled as such above.