New map shows where on 865 acres proposed Columbus data center would be built
Choose Columbus, the marketing arm for the Development Authority of Columbus, has released a map showing where the Project Ruby proposed hyperscale data center would be built on 865 acres in northeastern Muscogee County, bordering Harris County and Talbot County.
Project Ruby would be located toward the eastern side of the site with four buildings, closest to the high-voltage transmission lines and a power substation, according to the map. The data center would occupy about 15% of the site, according to Choose Columbus.
In an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, Choose Columbus president and CEO Missy Kendrick confirmed Georgia-based Habitat Real Estate Partners formed Muscogee Property 1 LLC to manage the property.
“They have not made public what they want to do with the rest of the property,” Kendrick said. “Based on some conversations, I think there are some exciting things planned.”
Habitat Real Estate Partners did not respond to the Ledger-Enquirer’s request for comment before publication.
About Project Ruby
Choose Columbus announced in February that the Development Authority of Columbus is working with Habitat Real Estate Partners on Project Ruby to prepare a “private and secure site” to build a hyperscale data center for an undisclosed company that “includes a multiyear capital investment that could total more than $5.18 billion, spanning land acquisition, building construction and equipment installation between 2027 and 2030.”
Two weeks later, the Ledger-Enquirer confirmed the site comprises 865 acres of wildland in northeastern Muscogee County, bordering Harris County and Talbot County.
Based on the 2025 combined millage rates from the city and the Muscogee County School District, Project Ruby would generate escalating annual property tax revenue, climbing to $68.7 million per year by 2030 before depreciation, and the data center would create 195 jobs with salaries ranging from $80,000 to $120,000 per year, Choose Columbus said in its February news release.
Kendrick has mentioned Georgia-based Atlas Development, along with Habitat Real Estate Partners, as Project Ruby’s developers, but the company that would be the proposed data center’s end user hasn’t been disclosed. Kendrick has said it would be one of the “Big 5” hyperscalers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Meta (Facebook) or Apple.
While proponents of Project Ruby tout the economic benefits of a hyperscale data center, opponents have expressed concerns about environmental risks and possible utility rate increases. City councilors and mayoral candidates have had mixed reactions.
Kendrick has been hosting public meetings to answer questions about Project Ruby, and she has said some answers have been misrepresented, but some residents have complained officials aren’t answering their questions about the proposal.
Columbus Council’s first reading of the technology overlay ordinance to allow any hyperscale data center in Muscogee County is expected to be May 14 — five days before the May 19 election for mayor, city council and school board.