“Cast the lone vote against the denial of the ~700-acre, 4.4-million-square-foot EdgeConneX data center campus near Villa Rica”

Douglas County commissioners voted 4-1 to deny each of three applications that would have allowed a roughly 700-acre, 4.4-million-square-foot data center campus of six buildings and a utility substation near Liberty Road, close to Villa Rica. The applicant sought a future land use plan amendment from Rural Places to Commerce Center, a rezoning from Residential Agriculture to Planned Unit Development, and special use permits allowing a utility substation and buildings larger than 50,000 square feet. The developer behind the application was EdgeConneX. The site would have bordered Interstate 20, the Clinton Nature Preserve, and Liberty and Suddeth roads, with part of it inside the Villa Rica city limits and within the Dog River Basin, which feeds the county's main drinking water reservoir. County Planning and Zoning Manager Allison Duncan recommended denial, saying the proposal conflicted with the county's long-term growth plan and could negatively affect traffic, public safety, fire protection and water quality. This was the second time in seven months that commissioners had turned down a large-scale data center proposal on this property. District 1 Commissioner Henry Mitchell cast the lone vote against denial. The four commissioners in the majority are not individually named by this source. Outcome: Denied 4-1. All three applications for the ~700-acre data center campus were rejected. Recorded vote: Voted against denying the applications (lone dissent). Body: Douglas County Board of Commissioners. Measure: East Village Dothan data center - future land use amendment, rezoning and special use permits (Douglas County, July 7, 2026).