The project — which is being developed by Atlanta-based Trammel Crow Co. — is slated to be constructed on about 1,600 acres currently owned by H&H Timberlands, LLC.
It was approved despite overwhelming public opposition both during and in the weeks leading up to Monday’s meeting, with the city council arguing that a data center is an opportunity to increase tax revenue without burdening area schools, creating traffic or endangering the town’s rural character. Officials say a data center could be a boon for Forsyth
City council members said during the meeting that they approved the data center to increase tax revenue for both Forsyth and Monroe County Schools, which they said desperately need the money.
Tye Hanna, owner of H&H Timberlands, said the project would generate around $200 million in annual tax revenue if developed according to current plans.
Hanna and Drew Fredrick, executive vice president with Trammel Crow Co., said neither the landowner nor developer plan on asking for abatements.
Post 1 Council member Josh Hill said tax revenue as well as financial assistance from the developer are an opportunity to improve Forsyth’s struggling sewer system, which has long been a complaint among residents and officials alike.
Monroe County schools are also struggling with overcrowding, with records showing that the district grew from 3,933 students in 2019 to 4,358 in 2024. Superintendent Jim Finch has sounded the alarm on the district’s lack of capacity and need for more funding, a problem Hill said the additional tax revenue could solve.
“My goal is to make sure that we get what we need, to make sure that our residents are given the quality of infrastructure that we need here in the city,” Hill said. Forsyth residents worry they don’t have enough information
Even as the city council argued in favor of the data center, residents at the meeting said they felt leaders weren’t taking their time to gather information about data centers.
Josh Pruitt, a Forsyth resident, urged officials during public comment to slow down and ask more questions before approving such a large project.
“We are moving too fast on a project with consequences that will last forever,” Pruitt said. “I’m asking you tonight to hit the brakes.”
Michael Griffin, another resident, expressed similar concerns, asking the city council for more thorough studies on the project’s environmental impacts.
Griffin pointed to the project’s development of regional impact report — a state-mandated report for large projects that evaluates how they could impact people and entities beyond the jurisdictions that approve them.
In the DRI report prepared on the data center, the High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance — a community group devoted to protecting waterways near Forsyth — asked for further study of the project’s potential impacts.
The group concluded that the developer made efforts to minimize impacts on nearby waterways, but “(f)ails to evaluate impacts to the Little Towaliga River, (r)elies on conclusory statements rather than supporting analysis, (and) treats major infrastructure expansion as routine.”
“Acknowledging sensitive resources without evaluating impacts is not sufficient for a project of this scale,” Griffin said.
City council members said more studies will be conducted on the data center and its potential impacts as the project progresses and seeks permits, and the city will bring in outside consultants and experts to assist in the development.
Officials said they feel confident that those studies and processes will protect Forsyth’s environment and allay residents’ concerns.
“Those questions that are unanswered, we’re not looking to do that by ourselves,” Hill said. “We’re looking to hire outside consultancy to make sure that your (concerns) are mitigated.”
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