Montgomery

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (5 resident reports, 2025-05-01 → 2026-06-14) · ZIP demographics: 82.7% Black, pop 9,359 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Montgomery County Status: Under construction, going online end of 2026 — Meta Montgomery Data Center. A second facility (DC BLOX Montgomery Edge Node) is also under construction nearby.

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

0. Snapshot

Montgomery's reports span the longest window of any site in this cluster — 2025-05-01 through 2026-06-14 — which tracks the construction period rather than a permitting fight. That is the distinguishing fact about 36105: the decision was already made. Meta's data center was announced by the Governor's office in May 2024, expanded in September 2025, and is expected online at the end of 2026. There was no moratorium fight, no lawsuit, and no rezoning battle in the public record.

• What's here: the Meta Montgomery Data Center — a 715,000 sq ft AI-optimized facility built off Interstate 65, across from the Hyundai automotive assembly plant, in the 36105 area. Expanded in September 2025 with two new buildings to a campus of nearly 1.3 million sq ft and more than $1.5 billion invested. (Governor Ivey's office; Meta Data Centers, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Jobs: more than 1,000 construction workers at peak; 100+ operational jobs once complete. (Governor Ivey's office; Meta, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Second facility: DC BLOX Montgomery Edge Node — initially 5 MW, scalable to 40 MW — at the Interstate Industrial Park off the Hope Hull exit on I-65, with construction reported starting June 2025. (madeinalabama.com; morethanjustparks tracker, accessed 2026-08-02)
• The lived complaint is noise. Reporting on Alabama data center neighbors describes noise "most noticeable at night when generators run," with construction as the worst phase, and a constant buzzing from rooftop air handlers, air-cooled chillers and diesel generators. (ABC 3340 town hall coverage, accessed 2026-08-02)

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

Meta Montgomery Data Center

Which side of town. This is the southern/southwestern industrial corridor of Montgomery along I-65, anchored by the Hyundai plant. ZIP 36105 is the 82.7% Black ZIP that surrounds that corridor. The facility is not on the affluent east side of Montgomery (36106/36117); it is placed in the industrial belt that runs through the city's Black southern neighborhoods, adjacent to an existing auto plant.

DC BLOX Montgomery Edge Node

Measured distances from either campus to the nearest homes, schools, and churches: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Request the site plans from the City of Montgomery (§8).

2. Public Hearings & Notices

Rezoning case numbers, planning commission votes, city council votes, public hearing dates, or any moratorium for either Montgomery facility: Not found as of 2026-08-02. No public reporting located a contested hearing, a moratorium proposal, or a zoning fight in Montgomery comparable to those in Prichard, Bessemer, Birmingham, or Lowndes County.

That absence is itself the finding. Two data centers were sited in and beside an 82.7% Black ZIP with no public controversy that reached the press. Residents who want to know what approvals were granted, and when, should request the records directly (§8) rather than assume none exist.

Council meeting schedule (to watch for future items): Montgomery City Council meets at 5:00 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month, Council Chambers, 103 North Perry Street. (montgomeryal.gov, accessed 2026-08-02)

3. Power

• Serving utility: Montgomery is in Alabama Power territory. Alabama Power published an account of the state's role in winning the Meta project. (Alabama Power, accessed 2026-08-02)
• MW capacity for Meta Montgomery: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Meta has not published one. DC BLOX Montgomery is 5 MW scaling to 40 MW.
• Meta's stated position: energy use matched with 100% clean and renewable energy. Note this is a matching claim (renewable energy purchases equal to consumption), not a statement about the electrons on the local grid. (Meta, accessed 2026-08-02)
• New substation or transmission line siting for either Montgomery facility: Not found as of 2026-08-02.
• Statewide, this is where the ratepayer question is live. Alabama PSC Docket 33709, opened 2026-07-08, is a generic proceeding to set procedures and standards for reviewing Alabama Power's contracts with large-load data center customers — how incremental costs are calculated, how benefits to other customers are measured, what evidence is required, what information is public, and whether the Commission monitors contracts after approval. Initial comments were due 2026-08-06; reply comments 2026-08-21. (Alabama PSC, accessed 2026-08-02)
• July 2026 reporting: the public can read Alabama Power's data center contract except the parts that could affect bills. (WBRC, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Alabama legislators moved bills in 2026 to limit data center incentives and require data centers to pay for the energy costs they cause. (WBRC; Alabama Daily News, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Data centers were a live issue in the 2026 Alabama governor's race. (WSFA, accessed 2026-08-02)

4. Water & Drought

• Serving utility: the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board. Any withdrawal permit, capacity study, or industrial water agreement specific to the Meta or DC BLOX facilities: Not found as of 2026-08-02.
• Meta's general design position: Meta states its typical gigawatt-scale AI-optimized data center design uses a closed-loop liquid cooling system with dry coolers, and that the company has committed to be water positive by 2030 — restoring 200% of water consumed in high water-stress areas and 100% in medium water-stress areas. (Meta Sustainability — Water; Meta Data Centers — Water, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Site-specific gallons per day for Montgomery: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Meta published site-specific water figures for its Louisiana project after public pressure (NOLA.com, accessed 2026-08-02) — a precedent Montgomery residents can point to when asking for the same disclosure here.
• DC BLOX Montgomery cooling design and water use: Not found as of 2026-08-02.
• Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 2026-06-30 showed Alabama statewide at 86.32% none / 12.19% D0 / 1.50% D1. Montgomery County-specific status: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Check the live map. (U.S. Drought Monitor; Drought.gov Alabama, accessed 2026-08-02)

5. Population & Who Lives Here

• ZIP 36105: 82.7% Black, population 9,359 (Census ACS 2023, per the project's demographic dataset).
• 36105 covers south/southwest Montgomery along the I-65 corridor — the part of the city built around industrial employment, including the Hyundai plant and its supplier chain. It is not the growth quadrant of Montgomery; the city's higher-income growth has been eastward toward 36117.
• Current poverty rate and population trend for 36105: Not independently verified here as of 2026-08-02. Use Census QuickFacts — Montgomery city, Alabama and ACS ZIP-level tables.
• The environmental-justice pattern here is siting-by-adjacency: the data centers are placed next to an existing heavy-industrial anchor, in the majority-Black southern corridor, rather than in Montgomery's eastern suburbs.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

• The Meta Montgomery project was announced by the Governor's office, which is normally an indicator of a state-level incentive package. (Governor Ivey's office, accessed 2026-08-02)
• The specific abatement, PILOT, or incentive package for Meta Montgomery — dollar value, duration, and approving body — was NOT found as of 2026-08-02. No Montgomery County Commission or city IDB abatement resolution with a dollar figure was located. This is a significant gap and a good public-records target.
• Same for DC BLOX Montgomery: Not found as of 2026-08-02.
• What is available: Alabama's abatement framework, which residents can use to understand what was likely on the table —
  • Chapter 9B abatements (property and construction-related sales/use tax): https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/tax-incentives/chapter-9b-abatements/
  • Chapter 9G utility refund/abatements (electricity, natural gas, water, telephone taxes, up to a ten-year period): https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/tax-incentives/chapter-9g-utility-refund-abatements/
  • Montgomery Regional Chamber taxes & incentives page: https://www.montgomerychamber.com/taxes-incentives (all accessed 2026-08-02)
• Statewide, the 30-year data center abatement is available only if approved before January 1, 2027 (20 years plus a possible 10-year extension after that date). (Yellowhammer News, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Jobs, promised vs. permanent: Meta — 1,000+ construction at peak, 100+ permanent. A $1.5 billion investment against roughly 100 permanent jobs is about $15 million of capital per permanent job. That ratio is normal for data centers and is exactly why the abatement terms matter.

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

• No organized opposition group, petition, lawsuit, or moratorium campaign specific to Montgomery's data centers was found as of 2026-08-02. This contrasts sharply with Prichard, Bessemer, Birmingham, and Lowndes County. Residents of 36105 should not read that as an absence of impact — only as an absence of documented organized response.
• Noise is the documented lived complaint in Alabama data center coverage: most noticeable at night when generators run; construction described as the worst phase; a constant buzzing from rooftop air-handling units, air-cooled chillers, and diesel generators. (ABC 3340, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Statewide sentiment: a survey of 492 Alabamians found 70% favor regulating data centers or oppose them outright. (Bham Now; Montgomery Up, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Data centers featured in the 2026 Alabama governor's race, with Montgomery's Meta expansion cited. (WSFA, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Regional context: the largest fight near Montgomery is not in Montgomery — it is Project Red Clay, an 800+ acre, 1,500 MW proposal about six miles southwest in Lowndes County, where over 1,000 residents signed an opposition petition. Montgomery residents in 36105 are downwind and upstream of that decision. See the Hayneville report in this series.
• Outlets covering Alabama data centers from Montgomery: WSFA 12, WAKA 8, Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama Reflector, Alabama Political Reporter, ABC 3340 I-Team.

8. Find Out For Yourself

City of Montgomery

• City Hall: 103 North Perry Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 (montgomeryal.gov, accessed 2026-08-02)
• City Clerk's Office: (334) 625-2096 · Fax (334) 625-2056 (same source). Clerk's name and email: Not found as of 2026-08-02 — ask when you call.
• City Council meetings: 5:00 p.m., first and third Tuesday of each month, Council Chambers, 103 North Perry Street (montgomeryal.gov, accessed 2026-08-02)
• Agendas: https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/city-council/city-council-meetings-and-agendas (accessed 2026-08-02)
• Meeting calendar: https://www.montgomeryal.gov/work/advanced-components/list-detail-pages/calendar-meeting-list (accessed 2026-08-02)
• Meeting videos: https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/city-council/city-council-meeting-videos (accessed 2026-08-02)

Ask these when you call (334) 625-2096:

1. What zoning, site-plan, and building approvals were granted for the Meta site across from the Hyundai plant, and on what dates — and were any public hearings held?
2. What tax abatement or incentive agreements exist for the Meta and DC BLOX facilities, including dollar value and term? (Ask the city, the Montgomery County Commission, and the Industrial Development Board.)
3. Does the city have a noise ordinance that applies to the facility, and what is the enforcement contact?
4. What is the facility's contracted water demand with Montgomery Water Works?

Montgomery County

• Montgomery County Commission — https://www.mc-ala.org/ · meeting calendar: https://www.mc-ala.org/services/advanced-components/calendar-meeting-list (accessed 2026-08-02). Abatement resolutions typically appear here.

Utilities

• Alabama Power — https://www.alabamapower.com/ · data centers and bills page: https://www.alabamapower.com/tools/data-centers-and-bills.html (accessed 2026-08-02)
• Montgomery Water Works & Sanitary Sewer Board — https://www.mwwssb.com/ (accessed 2026-08-02). Ask for the industrial service agreement and contracted daily demand for the data center sites.

State power regulator — file a comment yourself

• Alabama PSC Docket 33709: https://psc.alabama.gov/docket-33709-public-comment-and-reply-info/ (opened 2026-07-08; initial comments due 2026-08-06, replies 2026-08-21), accessed 2026-08-02

Operator contacts

• Meta Montgomery Data Center community page: https://datacenters.atmeta.com/2025/09/montgomery-were-growing/ · fact sheet PDF: https://datacenters.atmeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Meta-Montgomery-Data-Center.pdf (accessed 2026-08-02)
• DC BLOX contact page: https://www.dcblox.com/contact-us/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Local news

• WSFA 12 — https://www.wsfa.com/ · WAKA 8 — https://www.waka.com/ · Montgomery Advertiser — https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ · Alabama Reflector — https://alabamareflector.com/ · Alabama Political Reporter — https://www.alreporter.com/ (all accessed 2026-08-02). Specific tip-line numbers and emails: Not found as of 2026-08-02 — use each outlet's contact page.

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

An honest read. Not advice.

In Montgomery, unlike the other five sites in this cluster, the question is not "will it be built" — it is "what is it like to live next to one." Meta's campus goes online at the end of 2026. There is no pending vote to attend and no lawsuit to join.

What to weigh:

• Noise is the concrete, documented impact. Alabama data center neighbors report it is worst during construction, and afterward is most noticeable at night when generators run. If you are looking at property in 36105, visit at night, more than once, before you buy. Ask the seller and the city whether there is a noise ordinance and how it is enforced.
• This is an industrial corridor and has been for decades. The Hyundai plant is directly across I-65. Data centers here are additive to an existing industrial setting, not a new intrusion into a residential area — which is a meaningfully different situation from Oxmoor Valley or Lowndes County.
• The tax-base question is unresolved and worth asking about before buying. No abatement terms were found in public reporting. If a $1.5 billion facility carries a long abatement, it does not contribute proportionally to the school and municipal revenue base for the life of that abatement, while still drawing on roads, water, and emergency services. Get the actual agreement from the County Commission.
• Water and MW figures are undisclosed for this site. Meta has published site-specific water numbers elsewhere under public pressure. Residents can ask for the same here.
• The bigger nearby decision is in Lowndes County. Project Red Clay — 1,500 MW, 800+ acres, no named tenant — is about six miles southwest of Montgomery and is still contested. If you are evaluating the southwestern Montgomery metro, read that report too.

Jobs: 100+ permanent positions at Meta. If you are relocating for data center employment, note that construction employment (1,000+ at peak) is temporary and that operational headcount is small relative to the investment.

10. Sources

All accessed 2026-08-02.

1. Office of Governor Kay Ivey, "Governor Ivey Announces Meta Plans to Build $800 Million, Next-Generation Data Center in Montgomery" (2024-05) — https://governor.alabama.gov/newsroom/2024/05/governor-ivey-announces-meta-plans-to-build-800-million-next-generation-data-center-in-montgomery/
2. Meta Data Centers, "Montgomery, we're growing!" (2025-09) — https://datacenters.atmeta.com/2025/09/montgomery-were-growing/
3. Meta Montgomery Data Center fact sheet (PDF) — https://datacenters.atmeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Meta-Montgomery-Data-Center.pdf
4. WAKA 8, "Meta to expand data center in Montgomery, increasing total investment to $1.5 billion" (2025-09-23) — https://www.waka.com/2025/09/23/meta-to-expand-data-center-in-montgomery-increasing-total-investment-to-1-5-billion/
5. Made in Alabama, "Meta plans to build $800 million, next-generation data center in Montgomery" (2024-05) — https://www.madeinalabama.com/2024/05/meta-plans-to-build-800-million-next-generation-data-center-in-montgomery/
6. Made in Alabama, "DC BLOX plans new advanced data centers in Montgomery and Huntsville" (2024-11) — https://www.madeinalabama.com/2024/11/dc-blox-plans-new-advanced-data-centers-in-montgomery-and-huntsville/
7. WSFA, "New data center coming to Montgomery" (2024-11-27) — https://www.wsfa.com/2024/11/27/new-data-center-coming-montgomery/
8. Data Center Map, Meta Montgomery Data Center — https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/alabama/montgomery/meta-montgomery-data-center/
9. Data Center Map, Montgomery data centers — https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/alabama/montgomery/
10. Baxtel, Meta Montgomery, Alabama Data Center — https://baxtel.com/data-center/meta-montgomery-alabama
11. DC BLOX Montgomery Edge Node tracker entry — https://morethanjustparks.com/data-center-tracker/dc-blox-montgomery-edge-node-al--605482b3-0d2d-4026-8ccb-53d4d4af0b42
12. Alabama Power, "From anonymity to Montgomery Whitewater, winning the $800 million Meta data center took Alabama teamwork" — https://www.alabamapower.com/news/strengthening-reliability/from-anonymity-to-montgomery-whitewater-winning-the-800-million-meta-data-center-took-alabama-teamwork.html
13. WBRC, "Alabama data centers multiply as artificial intelligence fuels growth" (2026-02-18) — https://www.wbrc.com/2026/02/18/alabama-data-centers-multiply-artificial-intelligence-fuels-growth/
14. ABC 3340 I-Team, "Power & Progress: Alabama's Data Center Boom" town hall coverage — https://abc3340.com/news/abc-3340-news-iteam/power-progress-alabamas-data-center-boom-abc-3340-town-hall-thursday-at-4-pm-continuing-coverage
15. WSFA, "Candidates in Alabama's governor's race discuss data centers in the state" (2026-07-24) — https://www.wsfa.com/2026/07/24/candidates-alabamas-governor-race-discuss-data-centers-state/
16. Bham Now, "Data center growth in Alabama: 492 Alabamians weigh in" (2026-05-05) — https://bhamnow.com/2026/05/05/data-center-alabama-492-alabamians-weigh-in/
17. Montgomery Up, "Data center growth in Alabama: 492 Alabamians weigh in" — https://montgomeryup.com/data-center-growth-in-alabama-492-alabamians-weigh-in/
18. Alabama Political Reporter, "Opinion | Protecting communities requires comprehensive planning" (2026-07-27) — https://www.alreporter.com/2026/07/27/opinion-protecting-communities-requires-comprehensive-planning/
19. Meta Sustainability — Water — https://sustainability.atmeta.com/water/
20. Meta Data Centers — Water — https://datacenters.atmeta.com/water/
21. NOLA.com, "How much water will Meta's Louisiana data center use? New details unveiled for first time." — https://www.nola.com/news/environment/meta-louisiana-data-center-water-ai/article_d27dea17-d571-453c-b5a5-0deb571ea272.html
22. Alabama PSC, Docket 33709 — https://psc.alabama.gov/docket-33709-public-comment-and-reply-info/
23. WBRC, "Public can read Alabama Power's data center contract, just not parts that could affect bill" (2026-07-30) — https://www.wbrc.com/2026/07/30/public-can-read-alabama-powers-data-center-contract-just-not-parts-that-could-affect-bill/
24. WBRC, "Alabama Senate bills target data center incentives, utility regulation" (2026-02-05) — https://www.wbrc.com/2026/02/05/alabama-senate-bills-target-data-center-incentives-utility-regulation/
25. Alabama Daily News, "Bills moving to rein in incentives for data centers…" — https://aldailynews.com/bills-moving-to-lessen-state-incentives-for-data-centers-require-them-to-pay-for-energy-increases/
26. Alabama Dept. of Revenue, Chapter 9B abatements — https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/tax-incentives/chapter-9b-abatements/
27. Alabama Dept. of Revenue, Chapter 9G utility refund/abatements — https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/tax-incentives/chapter-9g-utility-refund-abatements/
28. Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce, Taxes & Incentives — https://www.montgomerychamber.com/taxes-incentives
29. City of Montgomery, City Clerk's Office — https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/city-departments/city-clerk-s-office
30. City of Montgomery, City Council meetings and agendas — https://www.montgomeryal.gov/government/city-government/city-council/city-council-meetings-and-agendas
31. City of Montgomery, calendar meeting list — https://www.montgomeryal.gov/work/advanced-components/list-detail-pages/calendar-meeting-list
32. Montgomery County, AL — https://www.mc-ala.org/
33. Montgomery Water Works & Sanitary Sewer Board — https://www.mwwssb.com/
34. DC BLOX contact — https://www.dcblox.com/contact-us/
35. U.S. Drought Monitor, Alabama — https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?AL
36. Drought.gov, Alabama — https://www.drought.gov/states/alabama
37. Census QuickFacts, Montgomery city, Alabama — https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/montgomerycityalabama
38. Yellowhammer News (abatement-deadline context) — https://yellowhammernews.com/mystery-data-center-could-receive-30-year-tax-break-beside-sacred-selma-march-ground/