Letter to the Editor: Project Sail Data Center
Dear Editor,
There has been a lot of discussion, correct information, disinformation, and chaos about the proposed Project Sail data center in western Coweta County. Those of us who are members of Citizens for Rural Coweta are in favor of data centers coming to Coweta County, but they should be in the many areas already zoned for industrial development, not in areas rezoned from Rural Conservation. Since January, we have been vocal about our objections to the proposed rezoning, at Commission meetings, in one-on-one meetings with sommissioners, and with Coweta County staff.
In July, Citizens for Rural Coweta was contacted, through our attorney, about attending a meeting with the developer, Prologis. Prologis said they would give us an update on their plans for western Coweta, answer questions, and have a general discussion. We welcome such an open dialogue. Before agreeing to their invitation, we made it clear that we would meet with them only if our legal counsel could also attend. Our desire to have our counsel present was for two reasons. First, we wanted to be absolutely certain that neither our organization nor Prologis crossed any legal boundaries. Second, we wanted to avoid the frequent problem that each side has a different interpretation of the discussion and there was no binding tacit agreement on anything. To be fair, to all concerned, we invited Prologis to have its legal counsel present as well.
J.C. Witt of Prologis disagreed with our commonsense approach. He told one of our leadership team that with lawyers present, the discussion would turn into a deposition. That was never our intent. We expected the attorneys would attend to take notes, interject if any statutes were on the verge of being broken and make a clear record of the meeting that would be transparent and publicly available. Since that offer, we have not had a response.
To allay Mr. Witt’s concerns, we are making a different offer to facilitate a meeting. We will have five members of Citizens for Rural Coweta present; they can bring the same number from Prologis. We stipulate that what they tell us is not the final form of their plans, but informational and for discussion. We simply ask that members of the media be able to attend and report on the discussions. We will limit the media members to three reporters. It seems logical that anything Prologis would like to tell us, they would be happy to tell the larger community. If not, what is the point?
We are also prepared for what we expect will be a large public relations campaign by Prologis. It will not be the least bit surprising to hear them promote themselves as “community friendly” and a “good neighbor” to Cowetans. We suspect that in a public relations campaign they will not commit to staying in our county for 20+ years because most developers, like Prologis, intend on “flipping” the data center rather than operating it. They will not endorse paying impact fees that would cover the costs for infrastructure improvements due to the planned 10 years of construction. They won’t publicly commit to any huge and meaningful tax revenue for the county without any property tax abatements. We will not hear anything about funding a bond to dismantle almost five million square feet of buildings when it is eventually decommissioned. You will not hear about any of these prominent issues mentioned in their public relations campaign.
Good neighbors care for those around them. I have great neighbors, and I respect their property values, their rights, and the quiet rural life that they enjoy. We work together to make our community better. We look after each other’s homes when someone is out of town. We call when we think a neighbor is ill. We are of diverse backgrounds, religions, political opinions, and viewpoints. But we are neighbors. I would not intentionally do anything that would disrupt their lives; and I know they in turn give me the same respect.
Real neighbors are like that, they really care. Others are neighbors in name only. They don’t mind barging in to an area, stripping the land of 800+ acres of timber, sucking up 9 million gallons of water, burning through 900mw of electricity, generating hundreds of tons of trash daily and putting those around them through ten consecutive years of intensive, ongoing, loud, dusty, disruptive construction, and then running with the profits back to San Francisco, California. Some neighbor! One commissioner during the discussion on Project Peach said he would welcome such a neighbor in his backyard. Well, commissioner, you can have this one if you want them.
A company that fears having legal representation in a meeting, even when their own lawyer can be included, who for the sake of profit won’t consider areas already zoned for industrial use, and wants to industrialize acres of land zoned for Rural Conservation, and subject those around them to ten long years of construction does not fit the character or definition of a good neighbor, at least here in Coweta County.
If this prospective neighbor wants to meet with us and they are willing to have either legal counsel or the media in attendance, we will meet with them and listen. We will really listen.
That is what good neighbors do.
I am Steve Swope, a long time resident of Coweta County. I have been involved in our county in many different ways, including serving on the Airport Authority, Public Facilities Authority, Superior Court Bailiff and Precinct Manager on Election Day. After living in downtown Newnan for 22 years, my wife, Marie and I moved to western Coweta County 18 years ago. We love the quiet, peaceful area that this part of the county provides. Now that is being threatened by a massive data center development that logically could be better placed in areas already zoned for industrial use. Project Sail belongs in a heavy industrial location, not in western Coweta County.
For more information visit www.stopsail.com.
