Texas Developer To Hold Community Meeting About Massive Data Center Planned for Brookwood
Some Brookwood residents are still complaining about the lack of transparency in the lead up to the announcement last week that a Texas company is looking to built its $3.2 billion Delta Forge 2 AI data center there.
That announcement came on the same day the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority (TCEDA) gave unanimous approval on tax incentives for the some 1.3 million square foot campus on Brookwood Parkway.
At issue with those residents is the non-disclosure agreement signed by city officials with Applied Digital that kept residents in the dark about the massive facility and its impact on Brookwood. Former mayor Larry Holloway is one of those who claims last week's announcement still did not reveal enough information about the $3.2 billion project.
Now, the company is conducting a community meeting tomorrow evening to reveal more information and answer questions in an attempt to assuage fears about the structure to be built on about a tenth of Applied Digital's nearly 1,300 acres of land in Tuscaloosa County.
First priority for attendance will be given to Brookwood residents at the meeting to be held at 6:00pm in the G.G. Hardin Center, which is at 15689 Highway 216.
Officials from Applied Digital will discuss construction plans, the expected beginning of operations in 2028, the data center's anticipated economic benefits to Brookwood and the entire county, as well as issues of concern repeatedly raised by those opposed to the project.
The issues most commonly mentioned have been the data center's effect on area infrastructure, water usage, power rates, environmental issues and the project's close proximity to Brookwood Middle School.
Applied Digital is also just one suitor looking to come to Brookwood - according to research by the Thread, New York developer Youngwoo & Associates also owns several hundred acres of adjoining land they've had rezoned for industrial use for a data center campus. Provident Data Centers, developers out of Dallas, own more than 500 acres to the south.
In the pros column, the TCEDA estimates the Applied Digital project will generate more than $440 million in community benefit payments and tax revenue over 20 years, including more than $130 million for the Tuscaloosa County School System. Building the hyperscale data center is also expected to create about 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 100 full-time positions.
The Brookwood City Council still has to vote on the project. Barger says he expects that vote to happen in the next few weeks.
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