Somebody asked why three Planning Commissioners opposed the rezoning
for the potential datacenter site south of North Valdosta Road and the Foxborough subdivision, on the west (right) bank of the Withlacoochee River.
“Commissioner Graham asked if tractor trailers are a concern. Mr.
Dillard explained that Condition
#2 addresses that with regard to any change of use and requirements.”
“Vice-Chairman Miller asked if
studies have been done to assess the impacts on groundwater with
similar developments. Mr. Langdale explained that new models address
that with cooling/recycling water systems.”
“Commissioner Foreman asked to verify
that the development is currently
speculative. Mr. Langdale confirmed.”
See below for LAKE videos of everything everyone said about that rezoning item in that meeting.
Gretchen noted about these LAKE videos of the May 12, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, “Still having camera problems. No audio on two of the bits and agenda items 6e and 6f and the start of 7a did not get recorded at all.”
Yes, we know the county videos its own Regular Sessions:
LAKE continues to video those meetings anyway, for a number of reasons
I don’t have time to go into here.
Also, the county does not post videos of its Work Sessions, nor of the
Planning Commission, nor of any of the other numerous Boards and Authorities, not to mention School Board meetings.
LAKE does post videos of those Work Sessions and Planning Commission meetings.
You can help.
Volunteer to video some meetings.
Or donate to LAKE to buy a better video camera.
Two citizens spoke about datacenters:
Michael Noll and
George Fisher.
See also what IT Director Aaron Kostyu
said in the Works Session
about massive hikes in memory and server prices because the AI industry is sucking up all the inventory even before it is manufactured.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item for the May 12, 2026,
Lowndes County Commission Regular Session,
wWork ith a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.
Widening of old US 41 from Union Road to Hahira City Limit
Years ago, there was discussion of this and the outcry against was loud.
This time, no discussion, Old US 41 is getting wider.
Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate
There was some discussion among Lowndes County Commissioners,
but their Regular Session on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, as they
approved all the voting items unanimously.
In her Reports,
County Manager Paige Dukes called on both Utilities Director Steve Stalvy and Fire Chief Billy Young about the current drought and fire situations.
After the meeting adjourned, County Chairman Bill Slaughter came down to talk to several people about datacenters.
County Manager Paige Dukes joined in.
The Chairman said it was their procedure not to answer Citizens Wishing to Be Heard during the meeting, but he made himself available afterwards.
CWTBH took about 18 minutes.
4. Purple Up For Military Children Proclamation took 9.5 minutes.
The usual preliminaries took 1.5 minutes.
So that’s 29 minutes.
The whole meeting took 46 minutes.
So that’s 17 minutes the Commissioners took to unanimously approve all the voting items.
In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Tetiana Babcock, who owns land southeast of the
prospective datacenter land on Coleman Road,
said the vegetative buffer approved last July had apparently been violated,
and possible even logging trucks had encroached on her property
between the railroad and the Withlacoochee River, on March 9, 2026. Continue reading →
There was a somewhat startling citizen report about the possible future datacenter site at the Tuesday evening Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.
See
other post for Tetiana Babcock.
So people can catch up on what is happening with datacenters,
here is Lowndes County’s astonishingly informative post on the process going forward,
illustrated and annotated with what has already happened.
This post does not mean that I or LAKE or any organization with which I am associated
are in favor of or opposed to everything of anything in the county’s post.
There are and will be plenty of other posts for such opinions.
Lowndes County, Georgia — On July 8, 2025, the Lowndes County
Board of Commissioners approved the rezoning of REZ-2025-11, Coleman
Road~719 acres from its current C-C (Crossroads Commercial) and CON
(Conservation District) zoning classification to M-1 (Light
Manufacturing) and CON (Conservation District) zoning classification
with the following seven (7) conditions: Continue reading →
There were five Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, all against datacenters.
One thought datacenters should go out in the woods in the country.
I beg to differ.
They went into an executive session, but it’s not clear they said what for.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.
![[Coleman Road rezoning of potential datacenter site @ Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, June 30, 2025]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/glpc/2025-06-30--glpc-potential-datacenter-site-rezoning/many.jpg)
![[Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-05-12--lcc-regular-videos/many.jpg)
![[Collage @ LCC 28 April 2026]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-04-28--lcc-regular-videos/many.jpg)
![[Collage @ LCC 13 April 2026]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-04-13--lcc-regular-videos/many.jpg)
![[Encroachment alleged on rezoning condition of potential datacenter property @ LCC 2026-03-24]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-03-24--lcc-regular-rezoning-condition-encroachment-alleged/many.jpg)
![[Collage @ LCC 24 March 2026]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-03-24--lcc-regular-videos/many.jpg)
![[Data Center Prospects in Lowndes County, by Lowndes County, GA, 2026-03-09]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-03-09--lcc-datacenters/many.jpg)
![[Collage @ LCC 10 March 2026]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2026-03-10--lcc-regular-videos/many.jpg)