DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A south DeKalb County film studio says the county promised it could build a massive data center. The county says it didn’t. Shadowbox Studios is asking DeKalb County’s Zoning Board of Appeals to overturn a June decision denying its request to build the project. A hearing is set for Sept. 9. The company says the data center would bring millions of dollars a year to local schools and county services. Opponents say the project would sap electricity from nearby residents, strain the county’s already burdened water system and further pollute neighborhoods surrounded by an interstate and an industrial park. They also accuse Shadowbox of trying to sidestep a countywide pause on new data centers through the appeal. In the past month, the dispute has spilled from the courthouse to a studio meeting with residents and, finally, to the streets. In June, DeKalb County’s planning department denied Shadowbox’s request to change how it is allowed to use the property — from a film studio to a data center. The company wants to build several buildings spanning more than 1 million square feet on 155 acres at 3600 International Park Drive near Interstate 285 and Bouldercrest Road. The buildings would house computer servers, data storage equipment and networking hardware used to process, store and transmit digital information. The company had planned to expand its film studio there but nixed those plans after demand for studio space fell and demand for data centers surged.…
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