DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — When the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously this month to reject a developer’s plan to build an estimated $1.6 billion data center on 95 acres of undeveloped land in Ellenwood, the room erupted into applause. The Aug. 13 vote capped nearly a year of deferrals on the application that was submitted to the county shortly before a temporary ban on data center development was implemented. The moratorium is needed, officials said, because the county has no definition of data center in its zoning code. In the meantime, dozens of residents and activists showed up for months to speak out against the proposed Ellenwood data center and any other data center. They cheered the commission’s vote as a victory. The vote comes on the heels of a separate developer suing the county to get the data center moratorium — extended to March 30, 2027 — overturned. County officials — and their peers in government positions all around the country — continue to face mounting pressures on how to respond to increased demand for data centers, considered the “backbone” of the internet and foundation of the digital world, especially as artificial intelligence and related technologies continue to grow. The Ellenwood data center would include a 1 million-square-foot campus on 95 acres of undeveloped land at 4280 and 4358 Loveless Place and 2281 Pineview Trail in south DeKalb, an area surrounded by residential neighborhoods. Residents who spoke at the Aug. 13 meeting…
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