Fayetteville Planning Commission Denies Data Center

The Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission addressed multiple development items during its meeting Tuesday night, January 27, including two Highway 85 North proposals tied to data center concerns, while also approving new commission appointments, a hospital expansion, and the annexation of Fun Spot America Atlanta.

Jesse Brooks, a Fayetteville resident who attended the meeting to oppose additional data center development, said the meeting drew a large and diverse crowd.

“Must’ve been about 100 of us, I think. Young folks and old. Parents, students, seniors… it was a great sampling of Fayetteville’s population,” Brooks said.

Business Park rezoning denied, Light Industrial supported

The first item involved a request from Corvus Investment Group to annex and rezone more than 240 acres along Highway 85 North and Highway 314.

While the proposal was not for a data center, portions of the request sought Business Park (BP) zoning, a classification that allows data centers as a permitted use. Following public comment, the Planning and Zoning Commission denied the Business Park zoning request and instead supported Light Industrial zoning, which allows warehouses and industrial office space but does not permit data centers.

Brooks said the Light Industrial designation aligned with what the developer intended to build.

That rezoning request will move forward to the Fayetteville City Council for final consideration.

Conceptual data center plan denied on separate property

Public opposition was focused on a separate agenda item involving CHI/Acquisitions, LP, which presented a conceptual site plan and building elevations for a proposed data center on another Highway 85 North parcel.

Unlike the Corvus property, this parcel is already zoned Business Park, meaning a data center is a permitted use under the city’s zoning code.

“Each comment was unanimous against the data center and every speaker got a round of applause (except the developers),” Brooks said.

One resident directly addressed the developers during public comment and told them, “Your business isn’t welcome here,” Brooks said.

After public comment, Planning and Zoning Commission member Chris Key made a motion to deny the conceptual data center plan, which passed. The vote was not unanimous.

Because the use is permitted by right under existing zoning, the commission’s action is advisory and may be appealed to the Fayetteville City Council.

“What happens next, apparently, is that the developer has ten days to appeal to city council,” Brooks said.

Brooks said he hopes the level of opposition influences the developer’s next steps.

“But I’m hoping they felt the enormous amount of hostility in the room and choose to take this data center and shove it somewhere else,” he said.

Fun Spot annexation, hospital expansion approved

In other actions Tuesday night, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the annexation of Fun Spot America Atlanta into the city of Fayetteville, which will allow the amusement park to expand its offerings.

The commission also approved a conceptual site plan and building elevations for Piedmont Fayette Hospital, clearing the way for a planned expansion of the medical facility.

Commission appointments approved

Earlier in the meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the appointment of board members Tobi Hilley, Leah Alexandria, Kelly Brown, and Chris Key, as listed on the meeting agenda.

Under city procedure, developers typically have 10 days to appeal Planning and Zoning Commission decisions to the Fayetteville City Council, which has final authority on rezoning and development matters.