BESSEMER, Ala. (WIAT) — The Bessemer City Council is expected to revisit plans Tuesday for a massive data center that is sparking concern among nearby residents who said the project could change their community forever.
The proposal, which first appeared in January, would rezone roughly 700 acres of land off Rock Mountain Lake Road to make way for a large-scale data center. Yet residents said they have been left in the dark for months, frustrated by what they call a lack of transparency from city officials and developers.
“It’s going to be a huge area that’s developed 100 acres, 18 super Walmart-sized buildings, four and a half million square feet,” said Nelson Brooke of Black Warrior Riverkeeper. “It’s going to use a ton of power, maybe 1,200 megawatts, which is half the capacity of our largest coal-fired power plant here in the Birmingham area.”
Residents who live near the proposed site, many of whom are in unincorporated Jefferson County, said they feel shut out of the process. Several have expressed frustration over reports that the city signed a non-disclosure agreement with the developers, leaving few details available to the public.
“Why can’t they discuss it?” said Ronnie Buchanan, a longtime Jefferson County resident. “Who wants to sign on something that I don’t even understand? You don’t know what it’s going to be or who’s going to be running it. It’s like inviting a stranger into your house.”
For families like Buchanan’s, the lack of communication is more than an inconvenience. It’s personal.
“We don’t matter,” Buchanan said. “They said we’re not part of the city, so we don’t matter. But we matter.”
He added he worries the development ruin the lifestyle his family hoped to pass down for generations.
“We bought property in our community for our kids and grandkids to have for generations,” Buchanan said. “But who’s going to want to live down there with the bright lights and the generator running? No one is going to come back to this.”
CBS 42 reached out to the city of Bessemer to confirm the non-disclosure agreement. The city clerk said the city attorney plans to provide a statement. CBS 42 did not receive a statement from the city attorney at the time of publication.
The Bessemer City Council is set to take action on the rezoning proposal during its 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting.
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