MoCo Commission Discusses New Development
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During the work session of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday afternoon, May 7, Montgomery County Development Authority Director Michael Stanley and the commissioners discussed the new Amazon facility being built in the county and strategy for handling data centers which may try to locate within the County.
Stanley confirmed that the rumors of a new continued from page
Amazon distribution facility being built within the County is true, as he stated that discussions about the development began before he joined the Authority, under former Development Authority Director Joe Filippone. The new facility will focus on “last mile” distribution, as it will primarily deliver packages to Montgomery and surrounding counties. Currently, the facility is expected to open in the Fall.
“Obviously, a lot of people have seen activity on Carver Street, and I intended to come to last month’s meeting but as I passed on, I had prior obligations, so I couldn't be at that one, so this is the first one that I have been able to be at,” he began. “It’s what's being referred to as a lastmile distribution center. So, all of that in a nutshell, in the chain that stuff goes through in order to get packages to consumers, the last-mile distribution center is the last place where the vans go out and deliver packages. Whereas you have facilities such as the UPS distribution center in Swainsboro and set of packages that they're sending through there, now packages in our area will be able to come through there and will directly service us as well as surrounding communities – a huge win as far as that's concerned.”
He explained that the 60,000 square-foot facility is planned to create between 50 and 100 jobs within the County. “It’s going to be a pretty significant thing that's coming to the area. Overall, I think it's going to be a really great opportunity. On Carver Street, they're actually helping with Carver Street to get it up to par so that with stuff going in and out, we will be able to keep the roads up,” Stanley added.
Stanley continued, “You know, they've got a landscaping package on there that would make you blush to see. They're investing in putting a very nice facility in our community. So, I mean, between that and their commitment to just the little things that I've heard so far, I think it's going to be a very nice facility, too.”
He said that although an exact investment amount had not been shared, the impact of the new development will be substantial in the area. He thanked the Montgomery County Development Authority Board of Directors and the City of Mount Vernon for their help in securing the deal.
Stanley cautioned community members to be careful when traveling in the vicinity of Carver Street, as many trucks and vehicles will be traveling in and out of the area.
Commissioner Amie Vassey asked Stanley about a provision mentioned in the Development Authority’s meeting minutes, which stated that Amazon had “an out” if they decided not to locate the facility in the County. Stanley told Vassey that the “out” was a provision made in the early stages of negotiations, but that the option was no longer available, as Amazon representatives have officially signed contracts with the County.
Stanley also clarified that no tax abatement had been provided for the developers.
Community members can expect to hear more details about the development and job opportunities for delivery drivers and warehouse employees in the future.
Data Centers Later in the meeting, Commissioner Vassey discussed the possibility of a land use ordinance being drafted for the County, as she shared that she had learned an individual had been looking at a piece of property in Tarrytown, where they planned to potentially put a data center.
“I had a citizen reach out to me and say that they had received a report that there was a company or a person intending to bring a data center to Montgomery County, and of course, when I hear these things, I always assume they're gossip to start with until I can research it and find some facts. So, I called the chief tax appraiser at the appraiser's office, and I did a telephone interview with her, and she did confirm that in January, a gentleman came to her office, and he specifically looked at parcel 036-12 and 036-13, which are currently owned by Georgia Transmission/ Georgia Power. He indicated that he was intending to lease that land to build a data center. Now, I looked this parcel up, and because it's masked, you can't really see that acreage compared to parcels around it. It appears to be roughly two acres, and if you do a satellite view – I have not had an opportunity to drive by this parcel myself – it appears to currently be some sort of substation,” she told the commissioners.
Vassey asked the commissioners if they were aware of this and began sharing information about data centers to explain her concern. She explained that she had learned that most data centers were very large – requiring 200-1,000 acres – but there were also smaller facilities, known as edge centers, that sat on 1.5 to 2-acre plots, which is what she believes this potential center would be. After looking further into the plot of land, Vassey said that she had discovered it was at the intersection of Braddy Road and Hilton Memory Road.
“I don’t know if you guys have done any research on data centers, but they require cooling mechanisms,” she remarked. “They use a tremendous amount of water. Even one that's only two acres would roughly use 200,000 gallons of water. Believe it or not, there are documented instances in our country where you actually run out of water. The water stops coming out of the ground. People's homes that live around it, their wells go dry. They try to drill new ones and they can't. They end up having to pack up their home and leave because they can't live without water.”
“I want you guys to do some research on this. I want you guys to be aware of this. It is my humble and personal opinion that this is a bad thing. We shouldn't want it. I don't want it. We should do whatever we can to get ahead of it,” she emphasized.
Vassey also told the commissioners that these centers always emit lowfrequency sound waves throughout a 3-mile radius from the center, with no stopping. “If you live near it, there are long-term health effects. It causes cardiovascular problems. It causes migraines. It causes mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts due to long-term migraines. It damages your home. It causes cracks in your walls and your ceilings. They have been finding that people who live near them are replacing their HVAC units at an alarming rate because they rattle them so much and so consistently that they damage them. There are a lot of negative effects here. I just want you guys to be aware of it,” she said.
She shared that even amidst these concerns, her greatest worry was the need to protect local farmland, as it is often agricultural property that is purchased for these centers. “That's the number one thing. We need to protect food security for the future of our nation and for land viability for our grandchildren and their grandchildren and so on and so forth,” Vassey added.
She explained that a method of protecting this land would be a land use ordinance. “I know we're always reluctant to try and tell people what they can and can't do with their land. Of course, we want it to be very minimal, but include very specific key items that address solar farms and data centers specifically in an effort to keep them out of our county. I hope you guys will join me in that, and I hope this will be an ongoing discussion that we can talk about at our next workshop as well,” Vassey commented.
Commission Chair Ginger Morris echoed these concerns, as she remarked, “I absolutely agree about agriculture and as well as the water base. I know they have a lot of closed systems that reuse the same water, but most of us and maybe some out there, most of us live on wells. That makes a difference to us. The other thing is, if I am not mistaken and you can check it out, I believe that Treutlen County already has one and I think that Toombs County already has one. My fear there is the aquifer because we're all on the same aquifer. There's a lot to take. I believe people should have the opportunity to do what they want to do as best for their family, but we need to be keeping in mind when things like this come.”
County Manager Heather Scott provided the commissioners with examples of land use ordinances in other counties, including an ordinance from Dodge County, which was recently enacted to specifically address data centers and solar farms.
Commissioner Leland Adams asked if Vassey was wanting to move towards zoning, as he said he felt that if an ordinance was made only to address data centers and solar farms, the commissioners would have to revisit it every few years to add other aspects. Vassey stated that she did not believe the ordinance had to be fully county zoning, but only something to address these types of developments in the County, as they were growing in popularity and needed to be addressed very soon.
Montgomery County Executive Director Stanley also commented in the discussion, as he stated that these centers had become a popular discussion among Development Authority trainings.
“So whether or not we decide to do it or not do it, one of the things that I want to say that I think we should put some more thought into what Commissioner Adams just said about a lot of the rolling theme with solar panels, data centers, whatever it is – a lot of times it happens very, very quickly. Private companies with billions of dollars move a lot more quickly than what we can as, you know, local communities. So, as somebody that 100% will die on the hill of I want to be able to do what I want to do with my land, I also understand that perspective as well, and while we're doing it, it might be a good thing to consider the protection for future things that might come up that we don't even know about yet,” he told the commissioners.
Vassey asked Stanley if he would research data centers and their functioning through his resources, and he agreed and stated he would attend next month’s work session unless he had a schedule conflict.
The commissioners agreed that the topic would be further discussed in the coming months.
