COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A $17 billion data center project was proposed for Coweta County on New Year’s Eve.
According to development impact records submitted by Atlas Development, LLC, the data center and campus is called “Project Sail,” and if completed, boasts and estimated yearly tax revenue for Coweta County higher than the current property tax base.
The plans submitted by Atlanta Development for construction include 13 buildings at 378,000 square feet each, plus substations for the data center. Should project development go according to their plans, the company estimates the build will be complete on Dec. 31, 2036.
The most recent data for tax revenue in Coweta County for the 2024 fiscal year was $107,999,613.
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Similarly, the estimated revenue for the 2025 fiscal year in Coweta County was $112,192,199, according to budget documents.
The estimated tax revenue for Project Sail, if it moves forward and is completed, was $1,593,585,386.
That means Project Sail would be responsible for 14.2 times the projected tax revenue for this fiscal year.
Documents from the development impact site and plans did not provide details on how that number was reached, but in the state of Georgia, tax revenues for property taxes are generally calculated at 40% of the full market value.
More directly, the Coweta County Tax Commissioner explained to Channel 2 Action News how taxation would work in a normal tax parceling situation for development.
“For easy math, a $17 billion property will generate less than 1% of its market value in property taxes. So for that market value it would be less than $170 million in property tax revenue. That would be shared between the county, school and fire district,” Commissioner Justin McMichael said, adding that “The DRI estimate could be factoring in sales tax for materials, income tax for jobs,” but said he did not have the expertise on those specifics to add anything further.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out for development plans and clarification from Atlas as well as requests for information from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Developments of Regional Impacts Office, and are waiting for their responses.
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