Wednesday, December 17, 2024–12:16 p.m.

-John Bailey, Rome News-Tribune-

This story is possible because of a news-sharing agreement with the Rome News-Tribune. More information can be found at northwestgeorgianews.com

The Rome News-Tribune is reporting that a data center is planned for 114 acres of property next to Coosa High School.

The Rome Floyd Development Authority, acting as a go between for the Floyd County Board of Education and a developer approved an option on the acreage at $40,000 an acre Tuesday.

“It can only be for a data center,” RFCDA President Missy Kendrick said. “This will be data center number two.”

The buyer of that land is the revocable living trust of William Darryl Edwards and is represented by three developers Darryl Edwards, Darren Hardin and Jonathan Ward, Kendrick said. 

“The developer can only purchase that land for the development of a data center,” Kendrick said. 

The Floyd County Board of Education approved the sale of the land through the development authority during its Nov. 26 meeting.

Weighing in on the sale, Floyd County Schools Superintendent Glenn White said it’s a win for the school system. 

They’d no intention of developing that property behind Coosa High School, he said, and it gets that property back on the tax rolls. A previous data center land purchase by Microsoft announced in October 2023 has already begun to pay dividends, White said.

“The more money projects like this one pay on property taxes to the school, the less people like you or me have to pay,” White said. 

Another move by the authority on Tuesday, dubbed Project Sassy, approved an option for 15 acres of property owned by the authority next to the Lowe’s Distribution Center for sale at $60,000 an acre.