Letter to the Editor: Holland Addresses Social Media Misinformation about Peachtree City

Clarifying Social Media Posts About Peachtree City and Fayette County

I’m saddened that I need to set the record straight on the many incorrect posts currently on social media about Peachtree City. I thought that once the City officially put out the correct information last week all would settle down. I am afraid that I’m wrong on that account as it seemed to have increased the social media postings.

Today I am writing to determine if this post to the local newspaper can calm the waters, so wish me luck!

The talk of annexation, data center, water use and all the rest of the issues in Peachtree City and Fayette County have me seriously concerned that most people posting on social media don’t have all the correct information. I’ll try to be succinct with my information about what has really happened in Peachtree City with these issues.

So let me address these issues directly—with facts.

Important Note: I can only speak for myself, not for the City or the rest of the City Council.

Annexation Study Claims
I am now, and have always been, in favor of expanding the land around Peachtree City so we could add more industrial and commercial companies into our city with this annexed land. We have had companies looking for industrial land in our city as they would like to bring their companies into a community with a fantastic quality of life for their employees and owners.
Let me be very clear: I have consistently supported studying the annexation of industrial and commercial land—not residential expansion. That position has been publicly stated in both of my campaigns. Back in 2022 when I was trying to get elected to my first term on Council, I put out a campaign list of what I would try to do for Peachtree City during my time on council. I did it a second time when running again in 2025, so you can check my record on this. Both times I said we will complete an annexation study before proceeding with anything.
Peachtree City is largely built out. If we want to attract high-quality employers and strengthen our tax base without burdening residents, we must at least evaluate whether appropriate industrial land exists in Fayette County.
The study was put out to RFP (Request for Proposals) on April 7, 2025. The City’s records are clear, however, that the annexation study was in the works for a long period of time, and is certainly not in response to, or concerning, any single potential area.
Again, one of my primary campaign projects was annexation of industrial land. Please remember, I didn’t say residential land, I said industrial land, so set the facts straight in social media.
Fayette County has lots of land where Peachtree City can grow its industrial sector. The annexation study is a long-planned, policy-level evaluation—not a project-driven effort, despite what is being suggested online.
Coweta County Annexation Claims

Let’s now settle the notion that the Coweta County land was something that Peachtree City was “going to acquire” in an annexation across the county border into Coweta County.
The land in Coweta County just across Flat Creek from Falcon Field was recently purchased by a long-standing developer in our county. Social media posts incorrectly stated that Peachtree City was going to annex that land.
Well, there is a state law that says annexation across county borders needs to be approved by the other county. Coweta County is not interested in anyone annexing their land.
The section in State of Georgia law:
O.C.G.A. § 36-36-23(b)
“No municipality may annex into an adjoining county in which the municipality is not already located unless otherwise agreed to by the county governing authority of the adjoining county.
Such annexation shall be deemed approved, unless the county governing authority adopts a resolution opposing the annexation within 30 days following the earlier of:

The completion of the meeting between the municipal and county governing authorities, if any, pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section; or
Thirty days after notice of the proposed annexation from the municipal corporation to the county governing authority, if no meeting is requested by the county governing authority.”

This is not speculation—it is established law. It now settles the “annexation social media posts” on any rumors of Peachtree City annexing any land in Coweta County is moot.
I would have thought that the writers of that post would have checked the state law before posting. I guess they didn’t, so that is why we get social media posts that are wrong. Coweta County has not indicated any willingness to grant such approval. That alone makes these social media claims unrealistic.

Data Center Claims
Social media says that Peachtree City is talking with data center people and companies.
Well, that is wholly untrue, false, incorrect, and outright wrong. I can personally tell you that I have never ever talked to any data center company, recruiters, site selectors, or anyone representing data centers that wanted to come to PTC to put their site here in our city. It is all pure conjecture on social media.

Now to be fully transparent, I have spoken over the past 3-4 years to the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) about light industrial companies potentially coming to Peachtree City and using our industrial sites. Unfortunately, these light industrial companies wanted more land than we have available, even though they are the type of industrial companies we would want in our city. These light industrial companies employ local people, pay their fair share of taxes, and are non-polluting to our environment. Isn’t that what everyone wants in their local industrial community?

I’m pretty sure most of the residents do not even know that data centers range from the extremely large type now in Fayetteville at 6.1 million sq. ft., down to “mini” data centers that take up less than 3,000-5,000 sq. ft. in a locally owned building. Scientifically speaking, without these data centers you would not be able to use your cell phone or computer because both need information storage beyond your home’s basic equipment.

Unapproved Posting
I was sent a link to James Clifton’s new campaign website last week and saw that prominently posted on his website is a picture of me and James Clifton at the Vice President JD Vance meeting at Alta Refrigeration last fall.
I certainly did not OK the use of my picture on his campaign website and feel wholly disrespected for not even being asked if it was OK to do so. My picture on his campaign website implicitly says that I support James. After all the disrespect I have had heaped on me and Peachtree City in the social media postings, I feel I have been betrayed and used by someone I know. I will not put my support behind someone like that.
Water Claims
Now let me speak about water issues. My business career of over 45 years as both a Chemical Engineer and Environmental Engineer in water, wastewater, process water, recycle water, groundwater, and stormwater should mean something to the social media posters as I have lots of worldwide career experience in that area.
Yes, water is needed at all industrial developments, typically in very large quantities. Large-scale construction projects—of any kind—can temporarily use significant volumes of water.
I do not know all the details of what is happening at the QTS construction site, but I have been told by those who know the construction site that there are approx. 3,000 construction workers that come to work at that facility every day. Those workers use water for lots of things: flushing out newly installed piping, filling up very large water recycle systems with fresh water, cleaning out all varieties of equipment, personal uses all day long by the 3,000 workers, concrete making and concrete truck washouts, hydro-demolition with high pressure water, water for dust suppression, wheel washing for all the trucks coming and going from dirt roads at the construction sites then out to a local street, pressurized leak detection testing of already filled closed loop systems that can contribute to very large water uses when emptied for repairs, and site and general cleaning with water. There are certainly many other water uses on a construction site so the volume can be in the millions of gallons at any one time. With all of these uses you can easily see that there is a very large quantity of water (typically in the millions of gallons per day) used during construction of these extremely large buildings.

Now, fast forward to the completion of the construction and the site is up and running, at that point the site’s water use will be a tiny fraction of what is happening during the site construction. I’ve been told by people that I trust that the total water usage when the 600+ acre site is complete built out, the entire facility will use no more than what is used by 6 residential households daily.
Also, just to give some perspective on water use, our Fayette County Water System (which does a great job in water production and purification) is permitted to produce about 22.8 million gallons per day (MGD) with the overall daily production of approx. 11 MGD currently. A typical residential home uses approx. 100 gallons per day, and Peachtree City has approx. 12,500 home units, so daily usage is approx. 1.25 MGD for our city.
In a quick summary, Fayette County Water System will easily be able to plan, project usage, produce quality water, and supply all of Fayette County with plenty of water long into the future. I am confident that Fayette County Water would not be in favor of a potential industrial use proceeding that would jeopardize the system as a whole. Expert water system planning and allocation are handled by Fayette County Water System professionals—not by speculation on social media.

As you can see from what I’ve said in this article, social media does not always have the correct information on what is happening. Indeed, they don’t have any validated information, so badly informed posters are making conjectures about what may be happening in our city and county. This type of ugly and misleading social media postings contributes to bad press about our wonderful city and county.

This is why I will say that the current social media postings on Peachtree City have incorrect information that spreads untruths and conjecture, without corroborated facts. People using social media are using circumstantial information to try to make their conspiracy theory valid, which it is not. Remember: Repeating a untrue claim does not make it true.

Peachtree City deserves informed discussion grounded in verifiable facts—not assumptions or speculation presented as certainty.

My advice is to please post only facts that are true and can be corroborated, and don’t make it up without the facts from reliable, verifiable, and trusted sources.

Clint Holland

Council Member – Post 3

Peachtree City, GA 30269