Columbus Councilors share opinions about pros and cons of proposed data center
Members of the Columbus Council are considering the pros and cons of a proposed data center, emphasizing that it is a long-term project that would not be resolved quickly.
The economic development organization Choose Columbus announced Feb. 12 the $5.18 billion Project Ruby, which would entail land acquisition, construction and equipment installation from 2027 to 2030 to build a data center on approximately 900 undeveloped acres in northeast Muscogee County, bordering Harris and Talbot counties.
Choose Columbus said in a news release the data center is expected to create 195 jobs with salaries between $80,000 and $120,000 per year and generate $68.7 million in annual property tax revenue by 2030 before depreciation. The Development Authority of Columbus is not offering tax incentives.
Residents have raised concerns at recent public meetings about the amount of water and power needed to run a data center and its environmental impact. Economic development officials have touted the benefits of the project. Mayoral candidates have had mixed reactions.
Now, the Ledger-Enquirer reports what Columbus Councilors say about the pros and cons of the proposed data center.
Columbus Councilor John Anker
Councilor John Anker of citywide District 9 supports building a data center in Muscogee County.
“It helps us all,” he said. “And it helps the city government.”
The city would not give away incentives, Anker said, and the type of data center it would be is also a positive. It would be a hyperscale data center, he said, which could serve companies like Facebook, Google or Amazon.
“We’re not dealing with a private equity,” Anker said. “We’re dealing with a real hyperscaler, integrated data center. That’s a real long-term potential for good.”
Through this project, there will be infrastructure that was already in the city’s long-term strategic plan, Anke said. The data center developer, Habitat Real Estate Partners, will pay $30 million upfront for the center’s water and sewage infrastructure, Choose Columbus president and CEO Missy Kendrick has said.
Columbus Councilor Joanne Cogle
The city council is examining aspects of this project at “great lengths and depth,” Councilor Joanne Cogle of District 7 said in an email to the L-E.
“We need to look under all the rocks and consider, thoroughly, the pros and cons,” said Cogle, who is one of five candidates running for mayor. “This has the potential to be a great asset for Columbus as far as property tax collection and job opportunities.”
Questions about the proposed data center, Cogle said, include the longevity of jobs, arrangements with public utilities, environmental impact, location aesthetics and community involvement.
“All these need to be weighed and considered before a decision is made,” she said.
Columbus Councilor Charmaine Crabb
Councilor Charmaine Crabb of District 5 told the L-E she is in “information gathering mode.”
Crabb said she has visited data centers in Douglasville and the site selected for the proposed data center in Muscogee County.
“I have spoken with Jeremy Cummings (president and CEO of Columbus Water Works),” Crabb said, “and he assured me we have enough water. He explained that closed-loop data centers will use less water than the mills did when they were here.”
Anker said he also has spoken with Cummings and was told Columbus is using about 32 million gallons of water out of the 90 million gallons the city is permitted.
“This data center will only use 80,000 gallons of water,” Anker said.
Kendrick, however, said last week the facility is projected to consume 330,000 gallons of water daily.
The water would be cleaned and recirculated, Anker said, so there shouldn’t be a problem with water.
When it comes to the data center’s power usage, Anker said Georgia has been a destination for data centers because the power rates are below the national average. Anker said rates will inevitably increase, but a data center won’t be the reason.
“I spoke with Flint Energies,” Crabb said, “and they are confident they can supply the necessary power with no effect on other customers’ power or bills.”
The city is also working on the overlay ordinance that will address environmental, noise and other concerns residents may have, Crabb said. This ordinance will go before the planning advisory commission in March, she said, before coming before the Columbus Council.
“We are giving no incentives to the developers,” she said. “The developer must pay for any necessary infrastructure up front at no cost to the city or citizens in their utility bills. That is about $30 million of infrastructure savings.”
This data center will be new, with better technology than data centers that have had problems in other communities, Anker said. He believes this alleviates much of the noise pollution, high emissions and other environmental concerns.
While the data center will likely bring around 200 high-paying jobs, he said, its biggest value to Columbus will come through tax revenue.
“We’ve asked the hard questions,” Anker said, “and, in my mind, there’s hardly any negative on this. The negatives are very small, and the positives are very large.”
Councilor Bruce Huff of District 3 told the Ledger-Enquirer he does not have a comment about data centers at this time. No other councilors responded to the L-E’s request for comment before publication.
This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 3:29 PM.
