Union City

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (1 resident report, 2026-05-30) · ZIP demographics: 86.2% Black, pop 25,013 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Fulton Status: Under construction / Approved — Microsoft campus (EdgeConneX / TA Realty / Burr Computer Environments), 324 MW, first phase due 2026 · plus a separate rezoning fight at Buffington & Jonesboro Roads

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

0. Snapshot

Union City is the most built-out data center site in this cluster. This is not a proposal — it is under construction.

Project 1 — the Microsoft campus. APPROVED AND BUILDING.

• 4810 Stonewall Tell Road, Union City / South Fulton area
• 136 acres, bought by Microsoft in April 2024 for $53.5 million
• ~2.1 million sq ft, 324 MW, roughly $1.8 billion in investment
• Built by EdgeConneX with TA Realty and Burr Computer Environments; end user is Microsoft
• Three buildings of ~612,000 sq ft each, delivered in phases. Phase 1 expected to open in 2026; later phases through 2029–2032
• The Development Authority of Fulton County approved a $75 million tax abatement over 10 years

Project 2 — the Buffington/Jonesboro rezoning. CONTESTED.

• Approximately 58 acres east of Buffington Road and north of Jonesboro Road
• Applicant TA Realty LLC, property owned by Bright Star Commercial Properties, LLC; requested rezoning to OI (Office Institutional District) to combine with adjacent parcels for a data center
• The Union City Zoning Commission recommended approval. The city council meeting drew a crowd so large that police asked news cameras to leave the room.
• The final Union City Council vote outcome is Not found as of 2026-08-02.

Project 3 — Red Oak ATL03. A separate TA Realty development reviewed as DRI #4315 ("2024 ATL03 Red Oak DRI 4315"), described in trade press as a ~1 million sq ft data center campus in Union City.

The governance signal. On March 24, 2026 the Union City Mayor and Council unanimously (5-0) adopted a 180-day moratorium on accepting certain applications while the city's zoning ordinance is being rewritten. That moratorium began after the Microsoft campus was already approved and building.

The pattern. ZIP 30291 is 86.2% Black. Reporting counts roughly 20 data centers planned for South Fulton. Organizers say residents routinely learn about projects too late to affect them.

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

Project 1 — Microsoft / EdgeConneX / TA Realty, Stonewall Tell Road

Sources: https://www.ajc.com/news/business/new-details-revealed-about-microsofts-18b-data-center-near-atlanta/X7FTPDSJGNAZVNF34XSHTPXS2Y/ · https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/edgeconnex-and-ta-realty-plan-324mw-campus-outside-atlanta-georgia/ · https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/ta-realty-edgeconnex-eye-microsoft-hyperscale-campus/ · https://baxtel.com/data-center/microsoft-union-city-campus · https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/georgia/atlanta/microsoft-union-city/ · https://datacenterhawk.com/marketplace/providers/edgeconnex/4810-stonewall-tell-road/atl11 · https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/hyperscale/article/55126626/details-emerge-on-microsofts-18-billion-investment-in-atlanta-data-centers-amid-tax-development-wrangles · https://www.connectcre.com/stories/fulton-county-agency-okays-microsoft-data-center-incentives/ · https://www.ajc.com/news/business/fulton-board-approves-75m-tax-break-for-microsoft-data-center/Q3K2XGXZD5DGRJUPUB3ENQGB4A/ (all accessed 2026-08-02)

Where it sits. Stonewall Tell Road runs through the majority-Black southern arc of Fulton County, between Union City and the City of South Fulton. Note carefully: this corridor sits near a municipal boundary, and different sources list the address as "Union City" and as "Atlanta." Residents should verify which jurisdiction any specific parcel is in before addressing a complaint or a records request to the wrong city.

The terrain is a documented issue: the primary argument for the tax abatement was that site development costs would exceed $40 million because of extreme topography — a 90-foot fall across the site and heavily rocky ground requiring substantial excavation. That means blasting, heavy trucking, and large-scale grading in a residential-adjacent area. Source: https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/hyperscale/article/55126626/details-emerge-on-microsofts-18-billion-investment-in-atlanta-data-centers-amid-tax-development-wrangles (accessed 2026-08-02)

Precise measured distances from the campus boundary to the nearest homes, schools, and churches: Not found as of 2026-08-02. These would be in the site plan and DRI file — request them (see §8).

Community benefit. TA Realty donated 10 acres of land to Union City for community development, described by the firm as part of its partnership with the city on the 324 MW campus. Sources: https://www.tarealty.com/news/ta-realty-donates-land-parcel-to-union-city-for-community-development · https://www.bldup.com/posts/ta-realty-donates-land-parcel-to-union-city-for-community-development (accessed 2026-08-02)

Project 2 — Buffington Road & Jonesboro Road rezoning

Sources: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-data-center-buffington-road-jonesboro-road-zoning · https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-council-data-center-public-hearing · https://www.unioncityga.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/community-development/documents/sept-2025-pzc-agenda.pdf (accessed 2026-08-02)

Why residents objected to the location specifically. Union City resident Larry Batchlor argued the facility belongs in the city's industrial areas, not in a mixed-use area, and that siting it in a mixed-use district would affect the environment and raise consumer costs. Residents said the site is near a subdivision. Sources: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-data-center-buffington-road-jonesboro-road-zoning (accessed 2026-08-02)

Project 3 — Red Oak ATL03

A separate TA Realty project reviewed by the Atlanta Regional Commission as "2024 ATL03 Red Oak DRI #4315 — Union City, Georgia," with a trip generation memorandum on file. Trade press describes TA Realty filing for a ~1 million sq ft data center campus outside Atlanta. Sources: http://documents.atlantaregional.com/Land%20Use/Reviews/ID5471/2024%20ATL03%20Red%20Oak%20DRI%204315%20-%20LTGM.pdf · https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ta-realty-files-for-1-million-sq-ft-data-center-campus-outside-atlanta-georgia/ · https://baxtel.com/data-center/ta-realty-red-oak-atl03 (accessed 2026-08-02)

The regional scale

Reporting puts roughly 20 data centers planned for South Fulton. A separate filing by Burr Computer Environments describes a 2.1 million sq ft campus along and east of Stonewall Tell Road, north of South Fulton Parkway, with work starting in 2026. Sources: https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/black-community-in-south-fulton-fight-georgias-data-center-boom/ · https://www.constructconnect.com/construction-economic-news/ai-fueling-data-center-construction-boom-in-georgia (accessed 2026-08-02)

2. Public Hearings & Notices

About the 180-day moratorium. Adopted March 24, 2026, it would run approximately 180 days — into roughly late September 2026 — unless extended. The exact expiration date and the precise list of application types covered is Not found as of 2026-08-02 in a source I could fully retrieve; the city's own site was not reachable in full during this research. Call Community Development and get the resolution text. Note that it covers "certain applications" while a zoning ordinance rewrite is underway — meaning the rules that will govern the next data center are being written right now. That rewrite process is the single highest-leverage place for a Union City resident to spend their time.

Meeting schedules.

• Union City Council: third Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Source: https://www.unioncityga.gov/Explore-UC/About-Union-City/Contact-Us
• Union City Planning & Zoning Commission: last Monday of each month, when petitions have been submitted. Source: https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/Community-Development-WIP/Planning-Zoning
• Fulton County Board of Commissioners: first and third Wednesday, 10:00 a.m., Assembly Hall, Pryor Street level, Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta. Source: https://fultoncountyga.gov/commissioners

Union City data center ordinance or permanent zoning standards: Not found as of 2026-08-02. The zoning ordinance rewrite is in progress; no adopted data-center-specific ordinance was located. Union City is not named in the statewide ordinance roundups reviewed. Sources: https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/calhoun_times/news/local/all-georgia-data-center-ordinances----from-most-to-least-restrictive/article_935d360f-88a5-42a7-91e8-82f597fe4bbf.html · https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/10/22/wave-of-data-center-ordinances-sweep-through-ga-counties-how-strict-are-they (accessed 2026-08-02)

3. Power

Georgia Power (Southern Company) serves this area. At 324 MW, the Microsoft campus is well above the 100 MW threshold at which the Georgia PSC's large-load rules apply — which means there is a regulatory filing trail at psc.ga.gov, and this facility falls squarely inside the statewide fight over who pays for the grid.

• January 2025 — the Georgia PSC approved a rule allowing Georgia Power to bill new large-load customers above 100 MW on project-specific risk terms: upfront infrastructure payments, minimum billing requirements, financial guarantees, and contract terms extended from 5 years to 15 years, with recovery of upstream generation, transmission and distribution costs. Contracts ≥100 MW are subject to PSC oversight. Sources: https://psc.ga.gov/site/assets/files/8617/media_advisory_data_centers_rule_1-23-2025.pdf · https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/georgia-psc-approves-new-billing-rules-for-data-centers-and-large-load-customers/
• December 2025 — the PSC approved Georgia Power's roughly $16 billion generation expansion, driven substantially by data center demand. Source: https://www.ajc.com/business/2025/12/georgia-power-gets-pscs-go-ahead-on-16b-data-center-power-plant-expansion/
• February 18, 2026 — the PSC denied environmental groups' request to block the expansion. Source: https://arabiaalliance.org/uncategorized/ai-data-centers-in-dekalb-whats-at-stake-for-arabia-mountain-nha/
• April 2026 — the PSC approved a Customer Identified Resource program letting large C&I customers fund their own generation under a monthly tariff. Source: https://psc.ga.gov/site/downloads/datacenterfactsheet.pdf (March 2026 PSC Data Center Fact Sheet)
• The verification gap — cost details for serving large loads remain confidential until 2028. Union City ratepayers cannot currently check whether this campus is covering its own grid costs. Source: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/georgia-psc-vote-keeps-public-dark-about-energy-rates
• Eminent domain is live and it is close to here. Georgia Power's documented transmission corridor taking runs through Fayette, Heard, Fulton and Coweta counties — roughly 35 miles from the Ashley Park Substation to Plant Wansley, affecting about 330 parcels and 30 homes. Reporting attributes 70–80% of the new capacity to data centers. Georgia Power's ten-year plan includes 1,000+ miles of new transmission. Sources: https://fortune.com/2026/07/26/georgia-power-utility-company-eminent-domain-grid-expansion-data-center/ · https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-power-ai-data-centers-eminent-domain/
• Demand isn't easing — AJC reported in June 2026 that Georgia data centers fill as soon as they are built, driving demand higher. Source: https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/06/georgia-data-centers-fill-up-as-soon-as-theyre-built-driving-demand-higher/

Note that the Fulton County tax abatement was justified in part by "electricity usage taxes" for the site, alongside topography costs — meaning the public subsidy is partly an energy-cost subsidy. Source: https://www.connectcre.com/stories/fulton-county-agency-okays-microsoft-data-center-incentives/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

New substations or transmission specific to ZIP 30291: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Ask Georgia Power and the city directly.

All accessed 2026-08-02.

4. Water & Drought

Serving utility: Fulton County Water Services serves this area; Union City also operates water/sewer functions through the city. Confirm which entity bills your address. Source: https://fultoncountyga.gov/services/water-services/drought-status (accessed 2026-08-02)

Drought — Fulton is among the drier parts of the state. The Georgia EPD declared a Level 1 Drought Response statewide on April 27, 2026. As of the July 14, 2026 U.S. Drought Monitor reading, roughly 33% of Georgia was in active drought (26.6% D1 Moderate, 6% D2 Severe) plus 52% Abnormally Dry (D0). The U.S. Drought Monitor has listed Fulton County conditions as severe to extreme. Under Level 1, the only restriction is Georgia's year-round rule barring outdoor irrigation between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Check current status: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?GA= · https://www.drought.gov/states/georgia/county/fulton Sources: https://fultoncountyga.gov/services/water-services/drought-status · https://www.drought.gov/states/georgia/county/fulton · https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/state/georgia/current-drought-conditions (accessed 2026-08-02)

Scale of the ask. Science for Georgia estimates that all current data centers in the state require roughly 27 billion gallons of water a year. Residents cite extreme electricity and water use, excessive noise, and removal of trees and green space as their central concerns. Source: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/data-center-expansion-fulton-county-georgia/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Water demand for the Microsoft campus specifically: Not found as of 2026-08-02. No published gallons-per-day figure, no stated cooling method (closed-loop vs. evaporative), and no withdrawal permit was located. This is the most important unanswered question at this site, and it is answerable: the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) file and the site plan should contain utility demand estimates. See §8.

Withdrawal permits, sewer capacity, and stormwater conditions for the site: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Check the Georgia EPD GEOS portal (https://geos.epd.georgia.gov) and Fulton County Water Services.

5. Population & Who Lives Here

• ZIP 30291: 86.2% Black, population 25,013 (Census ACS 2023, per the community map dataset used for this project).
• Union City is an incorporated city in Fulton County, in the county's southern arc, adjacent to the City of South Fulton, Fairburn, and Palmetto. Unlike Ellenwood and Conley, Union City residents do have a city government — a mayor, a council, a city clerk, and a planning and zoning commission that they can address directly. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_City,_Georgia
• The broader context is regional: South Fulton and Union City are majority-Black communities that have already absorbed disproportionate economic and environmental impacts from warehouse and heavy industry development. Roughly 20 data centers are planned for South Fulton. Source: https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/black-community-in-south-fulton-fight-georgias-data-center-boom/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Poverty, income, and population-trend figures for ZCTA 30291 specifically: Not found as of 2026-08-02 in a citable form during this research window. Pull them from https://data.census.gov (search ZCTA 30291).

The core finding. This is an 86% Black city that received a $1.8 billion, 324 MW, 2.1-million-sq-ft hyperscale campus with a $75 million public tax abatement, in a corridor already carrying the region's warehouse and industrial load, in a county the Drought Monitor has listed at severe to extreme. That is the environmental-justice pattern this project documents, at full scale and already under construction.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

The Fulton County abatement — the largest documented in this cluster

Sources: https://www.ajc.com/news/business/fulton-board-approves-75m-tax-break-for-microsoft-data-center/Q3K2XGXZD5DGRJUPUB3ENQGB4A/ · https://www.ajc.com/news/business/fulton-board-to-consider-75m-tax-break-for-gigantic-data-center/KEPIPBRBVZDIVMK57HN4SSRHCI/ · https://www.connectcre.com/stories/fulton-county-agency-okays-microsoft-data-center-incentives/ · https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/hyperscale/article/55126626/details-emerge-on-microsofts-18-billion-investment-in-atlanta-data-centers-amid-tax-development-wrangles · https://southernbusiness.com/microsoft-confirmed-as-company-seeking-tax-break-for-fulton-county-ga-data-center/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

A separate Data Center Dynamics report describes officials granting a $14 million tax break in connection with a Microsoft-backed Georgia campus — the relationship between that figure and the $75 million DAFC action is not resolved by the sources available. Treat the $75 million/10-year DAFC figure as the documented one and ask DAFC directly for the executed agreement. Source: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-behind-georgia-data-center-campus-officials-grant-14m-tax-break/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

The DAFC itself is contested. In January 2026, North Fulton cities pushed for a say before the county agency grants corporate tax cuts — meaning even other jurisdictions in Fulton County object to how these abatements are approved. Source: https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/01/north-fulton-cities-want-a-say-before-county-agency-gives-corporate-tax-cuts/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

Land donation. TA Realty donated 10 acres to Union City for community development in connection with the campus. The value and intended use of that parcel: Not found as of 2026-08-02. Source: https://www.tarealty.com/news/ta-realty-donates-land-parcel-to-union-city-for-community-development (accessed 2026-08-02)

Statewide exemption

Georgia's data center sales and use tax exemption — in place since 2018, sunsets January 1, 2032. Every 2026 curb attempt failed:

Roughly 20 data center bills failed in the 2026 session. Georgia is projected to forgo on the order of $2.5 billion in state and local revenue to the exemption in FY2026. That state exemption applies on top of the county abatement. Sources: https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/03/georgia-senate-votes-to-claw-back-data-center-tax-breaks/ · https://www.wabe.org/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/ · https://thecurrentga.org/2026/04/18/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/ · https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09042026/georgia-legislature-data-center-bills-fail/ · https://www.alston.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/georgia-sales-tax-exemptions-data-centers · https://goodjobsfirst.org/georgia-data-center-tax-breaks/ · https://www.audits2.ga.gov/reports/summaries/georgia-data-center-sales-use-tax-exemption/ · https://www.congressweb.com/GEAN/bills/detail/id/57299/type/state (accessed 2026-08-02)

Jobs

No permanent job figure for the Union City campus was found as of 2026-08-02. Construction employment on a $1.8 billion, three-building phased buildout is substantial and temporary. Permanent operational headcount at hyperscale campuses is typically small relative to footprint and subsidy. Ask DAFC for the jobs commitment in the executed abatement agreement — abatement agreements normally contain job and investment covenants with clawback provisions, and that document is a public record.

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

Union City and South Fulton have produced the most organized Black-led resistance in this cluster.

• Wanda Mosley, deputy policy director for the Black Voters Matter Fund and a community organizer, has convened residents to share information on projects coming up for a vote. Her two most important statements for residents to internalize:

  "These projects start as rezoning requests. That's where the city has the power to say no." "Union City is very late in sending out information. By the time we find out about a data center, it's often a done deal." Sources: https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/black-community-in-south-fulton-fight-georgias-data-center-boom/ · https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-data-center-buffington-road-jonesboro-road-zoning

• Sept 22: dozens of South Fulton and Union City residents gathered at the Etris Community Center to organize. Source: https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/black-community-in-south-fulton-fight-georgias-data-center-boom/
• Union City resident Larry Batchlor attended the zoning commission meeting and used social media to urge residents to pack the council meeting, arguing the data center belongs in the city's industrial areas, not a mixed-use district. Source: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-data-center-buffington-road-jonesboro-road-zoning
• The December 2025 council meeting was so crowded that police asked FOX 5 cameras to leave the room. Source: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-council-data-center-public-hearing
• The South Fulton mayor encouraged residents to discuss data centers, then did not attend the meeting. Source: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/south-fulton-county/embattled-south-fulton-mayor-encourages-residents-talk-about-data-centers-doesnt-show/B3O3NDTLFBDRDBILRML2ROQ7BY/
• FOX 5 has covered South Fulton residents debating the impact of data centers on their community. Source: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/south-fulton-residents-debate-impact-data-centers-community
• Residents' stated concerns: extreme electricity and water use, excessive noise, and removal of trees that provide valuable green space, in a region already carrying disproportionate warehouse and heavy-industry burden. Source: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/data-center-expansion-fulton-county-georgia/
• National coverage: Capital B has reported on Black communities across the South battling the hidden costs of AI, and KQED has covered how the AI data center boom impacts Black communities. Sources: https://capitalbnews.org/data-centers-black-communities-south/ · https://www.kqed.org/news/12072118/how-the-ai-data-center-boom-impacts-black-communities
• A pro-data-center PR group launched in Georgia on July 27, 2026 specifically to win over critics. Source: https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/07/27/pro-data-center-group-launches-in-georgia-to-try-to-win-over-critics/

Lawsuits or petitions specific to Union City: Not found as of 2026-08-02. For context, Coweta County residents filed an appeal in May 2026 challenging a data center approval there — the tactic exists in Georgia and has been used nearby. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/coweta-county-residents-file-appeal-to-stop-massive-data-center-on-protected-rural-land/ (accessed 2026-08-02)

All accessed 2026-08-02.

8. Find Out For Yourself

First, confirm your jurisdiction. The Stonewall Tell Road corridor sits near a municipal boundary and is listed in different sources as Union City and as Atlanta. Union City and the City of South Fulton are separate governments with separate zoning. Check your property tax bill or call the Fulton County tax assessor.

City of Union City

Fulton County

Fulton County Clerk to the Commission's individual name: Not found as of 2026-08-02 in a source I could verify. Call (404) 612-8200.

Regional and state

Organizing

• Black Voters Matter Fund — Wanda Mosley, deputy policy director, has been the visible organizer on this issue in South Fulton and Union City. https://blackvotersmatterfund.org
• The Etris-Darnell Community Center, Union City — where residents have gathered on this issue. https://www.unioncityga.gov/Venues/The-Etris-Darnell-Community-Center

Newsrooms

• Capital B Atlanta — the most substantive reporting on the Black community response: https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org
• FOX 5 Atlanta — most consistent Union City council coverage: https://www.fox5atlanta.com
• AJC — the tax abatement and Microsoft reporting: https://www.ajc.com
• WSB-TV: https://www.wsbtv.com · 11Alive: https://www.11alive.com · WABE: https://www.wabe.org
• Atlanta Civic Circle: https://atlantaciviccircle.org · Georgia Recorder: https://georgiarecorder.com · The Current GA: https://thecurrentga.org · GPB: https://www.gpb.org

Published tip-line phone numbers for these outlets: Not found as of 2026-08-02 in verifiable form. Use each outlet's "contact us" or "send a tip" page.

Six records to request, in writing

Under the Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq.):

1. To Union City Community Development: "Provide the full text of the resolution adopting the 180-day moratorium on March 24, 2026 — including which application types are covered and the exact expiration date — and the current draft of the zoning ordinance rewrite."
2. To the Union City Clerk: "Provide the minutes and vote result for the TA Realty / Bright Star Commercial Properties rezoning to OI at Buffington Road and Jonesboro Road, including all conditions of approval."
3. To the Development Authority of Fulton County: "Provide the executed bond/abatement agreement for the Union City data center project, including the investment covenant, the permanent jobs commitment, and any clawback provisions."
4. To Union City and Fulton County Water Services: "Provide the projected water demand, cooling method, and any industrial pretreatment or discharge permits for the Stonewall Tell Road data center campus."
5. To the Atlanta Regional Commission / Georgia DCA: "Provide the complete DRI submittals for Red Oak DRI #4315 and any other Union City data center DRI, including utility demand estimates."
6. To Georgia Power / the Georgia PSC: "Identify the large-load service contract filings associated with the 324 MW Union City campus."

And the one thing Wanda Mosley says matters most: watch the rezoning stage. Once a parcel is rezoned, the city has largely spent its leverage. Sign up for the Union City agenda feed (NovusAGENDA link above) and the Planning & Zoning Commission calendar — that is where a project first becomes visible.

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

This is an honest read, not advice. Talk to your own professionals.

This is not a "what if" — it is already here. A $1.8 billion, 324 MW, 2.1 million sq ft hyperscale campus for Microsoft is under construction on 136 acres at Stonewall Tell Road, with Phase 1 expected to open in 2026. A second ~58-acre rezoning is contested at Buffington and Jonesboro. A third project, Red Oak ATL03, has been through regional review. Roughly 20 data centers are planned for South Fulton. If you move to 30291, you are moving into a data center corridor that is being built now, not proposed.

What that means concretely, and it's not abstract.

• The Microsoft site required blasting and excavation through a 90-foot elevation change in rocky ground. Construction impact — trucks, blasting, dust, road wear — is real and multi-year.
• A 324 MW campus runs 24 hours a day and has backup generators. No noise study for this site was found. Go stand on the property line at night before you buy nearby.
• Fulton County has been listed at severe to extreme drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor, and Georgia is under a Level 1 drought response declared April 27, 2026. Nobody has published this campus's water demand.
• You are paying part of the bill. The Development Authority of Fulton County granted $75 million over 10 years, justified partly by electricity usage taxes. Georgia's state sales-tax exemption runs on top of that to 2032. DAFC projects $198 million in taxes still collected over the decade — that projection is worth reading closely, and other Fulton cities have publicly objected to how DAFC grants these deals.
• Power cost effects can't be independently checked until 2028 by PSC order.
• Georgia Power is exercising eminent domain for a 35-mile transmission corridor across Fayette, Heard, Fulton and Coweta counties — about 330 parcels. Check whether any corridor study touches a property before you buy.

What's genuinely in the plus column — and it's more than the other sites in this cluster have.

• Union City has its own government. A mayor, a council meeting on the third Tuesday at 7 PM, a planning and zoning commission on the last Monday, published agendas, and a city clerk. Ellenwood and Conley residents have none of that. You can walk into a room and be heard by people who need your vote.
• The city acted, even if late. On March 24, 2026 the council unanimously adopted a 180-day moratorium on certain applications and started a zoning ordinance rewrite. That rewrite is happening right now, and it is the most consequential thing in this report for anyone planning to live here — the rules being written now govern the next twenty projects.
• There is real, named, experienced organizing here. Black Voters Matter is on the ground. Residents packed a council chamber past capacity. That infrastructure exists and you can join it on day one.
• Union City is close to Hartsfield-Jackson, has interstate access, and land costs below the northern arc.

Practical steps before you buy:

• Confirm whether the parcel is in Union City, the City of South Fulton, or unincorporated Fulton.
• Measure the distance to 4810 Stonewall Tell Road and to the Buffington/Jonesboro parcels; pull the zoning of everything within a half mile, and check for any OI (Office Institutional) designations adjacent to residential — that was the rezoning vehicle used here.
• Get the moratorium resolution and the draft zoning rewrite from Community Development.
• Get the DAFC abatement agreement and read the jobs and clawback covenants.
• Check for a Georgia Power transmission corridor.
• Show up on a third Tuesday and a last Monday before you sign anything.

Bottom line. Union City is the clearest single example in this cluster of the pattern this project documents: an 86% Black city, in a corridor already carrying the region's warehouses, in a county at severe-to-extreme drought, receiving a $1.8 billion, 324 MW hyperscale campus with a $75 million public subsidy — approved before the city had data-center-specific zoning rules, which it is only now writing. The honest read is that the first project is a settled fact. The open question is what the next nineteen look like, and that is being decided in the zoning rewrite happening right now. If you move here, that is where your time goes.

10. Sources

All accessed 2026-08-02.

Official / government

• City of Union City, Contact Us — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Explore-UC/About-Union-City/Contact-Us
• City of Union City, City Clerk — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/City-Clerk
• City of Union City, City Government — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/City-Government
• City of Union City, Mayor Vince R. Williams — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/City-Government/Mayor-Vince-R-Williams
• City of Union City, City Council — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/City-Government/City-Council
• City of Union City, Agendas & Minutes — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/City-Government/Agendas-Minutes
• City of Union City, Council Meetings & Work Sessions — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Council-Meetings-Work-Sessions
• Union City NovusAGENDA portal — https://unioncity.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/
• City of Union City, Planning & Zoning — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Departments/Community-Development-WIP/Planning-Zoning
• City of Union City, Zoning — https://www.unioncityga.org/departments/community-development/zoning
• City of Union City, Planning and Zoning Community Meeting (April 23, 2026) — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Events-directory/Planning-and-Zoning-Community-Meeting
• City of Union City, Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Events-directory/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission-Meeting
• City of Union City, Events listing — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Events-directory
• City of Union City, Public Notice: Special Called Council Meeting — https://www.unioncityga.gov/News-articles/Public-Notice-Special-Called-Council-Meeting
• City of Union City, Planning & Zoning Commission agenda, Sept 29, 2025 (PDF) — https://www.unioncityga.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/community-development/documents/sept-2025-pzc-agenda.pdf
• City of Union City, Council regular meeting minutes 7/15/25 (PDF) — https://www.unioncityga.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/clerkmgrcouncilmayor/documents/agendas-amp-min/7-15-25-regular-meeting-minutes.pdf
• City of Union City, Etris-Darnell Community Center — https://www.unioncityga.gov/Venues/The-Etris-Darnell-Community-Center
• Union City Code of Ordinances (Municode) — https://library.municode.com/ga/union_city
• Fulton County, Board of Commissioners — https://fultoncountyga.gov/commissioners
• Fulton County, Clerk to the Commission — https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/commissioners/clerk-to-the-commission
• Fulton County, Boards and Authorities — https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/commissioners/clerk-to-the-commission/boards-and-authorities
• Fulton County Legistar — https://fulton.legistar.com/
• Fulton County Water Services, Drought Status — https://fultoncountyga.gov/services/water-services/drought-status
• Development Authority of Fulton County — https://www.developfultoncounty.com
• Atlanta Regional Commission, 2024 ATL03 Red Oak DRI #4315 Trip Generation Memorandum (PDF) — http://documents.atlantaregional.com/Land%20Use/Reviews/ID5471/2024%20ATL03%20Red%20Oak%20DRI%204315%20-%20LTGM.pdf
• Georgia PSC, large-load rule media advisory (1/23/2025) — https://psc.ga.gov/site/assets/files/8617/media_advisory_data_centers_rule_1-23-2025.pdf
• Georgia PSC Data Center Fact Sheet (March 2026) — https://psc.ga.gov/site/downloads/datacenterfactsheet.pdf
• Georgia Dept. of Audits, data center sales/use tax exemption — https://www.audits2.ga.gov/reports/summaries/georgia-data-center-sales-use-tax-exemption/
• HB 1059, Data Center Impact Assessment and Development Moratorium Act of 2026 — https://www.congressweb.com/GEAN/bills/detail/id/57299/type/state

News and trade press

• Capital B Atlanta, Black Community Fights Georgia's Data Center Boom — https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/black-community-in-south-fulton-fight-georgias-data-center-boom/
• Capital B, Black Communities Battle Big Tech Over the Hidden Costs of AI — https://capitalbnews.org/data-centers-black-communities-south/
• FOX 5 Atlanta, Battle over Union City data center plans heats up — https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-data-center-buffington-road-jonesboro-road-zoning
• FOX 5 Atlanta, Union City data center proposal draws heated, overcrowded council meeting — https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/union-city-council-data-center-public-hearing
• FOX 5 Atlanta, South Fulton residents debate impact of data centers — https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/south-fulton-residents-debate-impact-data-centers-community
• WSB-TV, South Fulton mayor encourages residents to talk about data centers, doesn't show — https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/south-fulton-county/embattled-south-fulton-mayor-encourages-residents-talk-about-data-centers-doesnt-show/B3O3NDTLFBDRDBILRML2ROQ7BY/
• AJC, New details revealed about Microsoft's $1.8B data center near Atlanta — https://www.ajc.com/news/business/new-details-revealed-about-microsofts-18b-data-center-near-atlanta/X7FTPDSJGNAZVNF34XSHTPXS2Y/
• AJC, Fulton board approves $75M tax break for Microsoft data center — https://www.ajc.com/news/business/fulton-board-approves-75m-tax-break-for-microsoft-data-center/Q3K2XGXZD5DGRJUPUB3ENQGB4A/
• AJC, Fulton board to consider $75M tax break for gigantic data center — https://www.ajc.com/news/business/fulton-board-to-consider-75m-tax-break-for-gigantic-data-center/KEPIPBRBVZDIVMK57HN4SSRHCI/
• AJC, North Fulton cities want a say before county agency gives corporate tax cuts — https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/01/north-fulton-cities-want-a-say-before-county-agency-gives-corporate-tax-cuts/
• AJC, Georgia Power gets PSC's go-ahead on $16B expansion — https://www.ajc.com/business/2025/12/georgia-power-gets-pscs-go-ahead-on-16b-data-center-power-plant-expansion/
• AJC, Georgia data centers fill up as soon as they're built — https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/06/georgia-data-centers-fill-up-as-soon-as-theyre-built-driving-demand-higher/
• AJC, Georgia Senate votes to claw back data center tax breaks — https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/03/georgia-senate-votes-to-claw-back-data-center-tax-breaks/
• Data Center Dynamics, EdgeConneX and TA Realty plan 324MW campus outside Atlanta — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/edgeconnex-and-ta-realty-plan-324mw-campus-outside-atlanta-georgia/
• Data Center Dynamics, TA Realty files for 1 million sq ft data center campus outside Atlanta — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ta-realty-files-for-1-million-sq-ft-data-center-campus-outside-atlanta-georgia/
• Data Center Dynamics, Microsoft behind Georgia data center campus, officials grant $14m tax break — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-behind-georgia-data-center-campus-officials-grant-14m-tax-break/
• Data Center Dynamics, Land rezoning for Georgia data center recommended for approval — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/land-rezoning-for-georgia-data-center-recommended-for-approval/
• Data Center Dynamics, Georgia PSC approves new billing rules — https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/georgia-psc-approves-new-billing-rules-for-data-centers-and-large-load-customers/
• Data Center Frontier, Details emerge on Microsoft's $1.8 billion investment in Atlanta data centers — https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/hyperscale/article/55126626/details-emerge-on-microsofts-18-billion-investment-in-atlanta-data-centers-amid-tax-development-wrangles
• Commercial Property Executive, TA Realty, EdgeConneX to build Microsoft data center campus — https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/ta-realty-edgeconnex-eye-microsoft-hyperscale-campus/
• Connect CRE, Fulton County agency okays Microsoft data center incentives — https://www.connectcre.com/stories/fulton-county-agency-okays-microsoft-data-center-incentives/
• Connect CRE, Developer duo teaming up on $1.8B Atlanta data center — https://www.connectcre.com/stories/developer-duo-teaming-up-on-1-8b-atlanta-data-center/
• Southern Business & Development, Microsoft confirmed as company seeking tax break — https://southernbusiness.com/microsoft-confirmed-as-company-seeking-tax-break-for-fulton-county-ga-data-center/
• TA Realty, Land donation to Union City — https://www.tarealty.com/news/ta-realty-donates-land-parcel-to-union-city-for-community-development
• BLDUP, TA Realty donates land parcel to Union City — https://www.bldup.com/posts/ta-realty-donates-land-parcel-to-union-city-for-community-development
• ConstructConnect, AI fueling data center construction boom in Georgia — https://www.constructconnect.com/construction-economic-news/ai-fueling-data-center-construction-boom-in-georgia
• Construction Owners, AI-driven data center boom fueling Georgia's construction growth — https://www.constructionowners.com/news/ai-driving-surge-in-data-center-construction-in-georgia
• The Cooldown, Residents fight back against concerning projects in US region — https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/data-center-expansion-fulton-county-georgia/
• KQED, How the AI data center boom impacts Black communities — https://www.kqed.org/news/12072118/how-the-ai-data-center-boom-impacts-black-communities
• WABE, Advocates frustrated after 20 data center bills fail — https://www.wabe.org/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/
• The Current GA, Advocates 'frustrated' after 20 data center bills fail (4/18/2026) — https://thecurrentga.org/2026/04/18/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/
• The Current GA, Georgia lawmakers weigh data center regulations (7/27/2026) — https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/27/georgia-lawmakers-weigh-data-center-regulations-as-industry-ramps-pr-efforts/
• Georgia Recorder, Pro-data-center group launches in Georgia (7/27/2026) — https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/07/27/pro-data-center-group-launches-in-georgia-to-try-to-win-over-critics/
• Inside Climate News, Georgia legislature data center bills fail — https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09042026/georgia-legislature-data-center-bills-fail/
• GPB, A 'wave' of data center ordinances sweep through GA counties — https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/10/22/wave-of-data-center-ordinances-sweep-through-ga-counties-how-strict-are-they
• Northwest Georgia News, All Georgia data center ordinances (6/10/2026) — https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/calhoun_times/news/local/all-georgia-data-center-ordinances----from-most-to-least-restrictive/article_935d360f-88a5-42a7-91e8-82f597fe4bbf.html
• CBS Atlanta, Coweta County residents file appeal to stop data center — https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/coweta-county-residents-file-appeal-to-stop-massive-data-center-on-protected-rural-land/
• NRDC, Georgia PSC vote keeps public in the dark — https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/georgia-psc-vote-keeps-public-dark-about-energy-rates
• Fortune, Georgia Power eminent domain grid expansion — https://fortune.com/2026/07/26/georgia-power-utility-company-eminent-domain-grid-expansion-data-center/
• CBS News, Georgia Power AI data centers eminent domain — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-power-ai-data-centers-eminent-domain/
• Alston & Bird, Georgia sales tax exemptions for data centers — https://www.alston.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/georgia-sales-tax-exemptions-data-centers
• Good Jobs First, Georgia data center tax breaks — https://goodjobsfirst.org/georgia-data-center-tax-breaks/

Facility databases

• Baxtel, Microsoft: Union City Campus Data Center — https://baxtel.com/data-center/microsoft-union-city-campus
• Baxtel, EdgeConneX: Atlanta ATL11-13 — https://baxtel.com/data-center/edgeconnex-atlanta-atl11-13
• Baxtel, TA Realty: Red Oak ATL03 — https://baxtel.com/data-center/ta-realty-red-oak-atl03
• Data Center Map, Microsoft Union City Campus — https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/georgia/atlanta/microsoft-union-city/
• datacenterHawk, EdgeConneX ATL11, 4810 Stonewall Tell Road — https://datacenterhawk.com/marketplace/providers/edgeconnex/4810-stonewall-tell-road/atl11

Reference / environmental

• Wikipedia, Union City, Georgia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_City,_Georgia
• Wikipedia, Black Voters Matter — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Voters_Matter
• Georgia Municipal Association, Union City — https://www.gacities.com/gma-cities-districts/union%20city/78324
• U.S. Census data portal — https://data.census.gov
• Drought.gov, Fulton County conditions — https://www.drought.gov/states/georgia/county/fulton
• U.S. Drought Monitor, Georgia — https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?GA=
• PlantMaps, Current Georgia drought conditions (July 14, 2026) — https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/state/georgia/current-drought-conditions