Datacenters meeting, Lowndes County, GA 2026-02-17

As I said at the end, we saw unprecedented transparency from the property owner and Georgia Power, at the Lowndes County meeting about datacenters, February 17, 2026, at Valdosta State University.

We still need much more due diligence and we need a datacenter ordinance by Lowndes County.

Unprecedented transparency, Need much more due diligence, Datacenter meeting, VSU, Lowndes County, GA 2026-02-17

I thank Pope Langdale for revealing that the datacenter would be by DC BLOX, and that their CEO had promised him closed loop cooling with minimal water from county utilities and a large number of high-paying jobs.

However, that CEO’s job is to be chief salesman for his product. Where are the specifications of this closed loop system? Where are some locations of DC BLOX datacenters we can all examine to see how they actually work? And ask their neighbors what they think? The DC BLOX website says they have 17 locations, and has a map with city or county names, but no further information.

Please listen to the experts on the panel and the people in the room, especially the students, who said they have not been able to find any datacenter neighbors who have had a positive experience.

I understand Joe Brownlee of Georgia Power’s wish to provide jobs and tax revenue. But, as I discussed with him after the meeting, it’s not good to get too dependent on a business that may vanish soon. Plus he is well aware that I and WWALS differ with he and Georgia Power about natural gas pipelines and power plants, more of which are now proposed to power these datacenters in Georgia.

We’ve all heard promises of many high-paying jobs before. The Sabal Trail pipeline promised that. Which turned out to be construction jobs outsourced to contractors from Texas and Oklahoma.

To the person who demanded Pope Langdale get the Lowndes County Commission to pass a datacenter ordinance: be careful what you wish for. You do not actually want local rich people completely controling local governments. You all need to be getting an ordinance passed.

Meanwhile near Irwinville, a special exception for a datacenter is on the agenda for the Ocilla/Irwin County Planning Commission this Thursday, February 26, 2026.

https://wwals.net/?p=69394

Amy Sharma’s Science for Georgia presentation slides are on the WWALS website, in PowerPoint and PDF, and on google drive.

The model datacenter ordinances by Science for Georgia are also on the WWALS website, or follow the QR code:

Call on your county commissioners to ensure data centers are GOOD NEIGHBORS! Call on your state legislators to vote YES on SB 34!, 2026-02-17 –Amy Sharma, Science for Georgia
PDF

You can see most of the meeting in this facebook live video by Concerned Citizens of Cook County, taken I believe by Treva Gear.

https://www.facebook.com/ccocook/videos/1524769915259033

I speak early at 5:56 and last at 1:40:31. Most of what I said early on I said at more length in November to a workshop on updating the Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan.

https://wwals.net/?p=69238

[Power, water, and datacenters, --Suwannee Riverkeeper 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan, Update Workshop 2]
Power, water, and datacenters, –Suwannee Riverkeeper 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan, Update Workshop 2

I’ve seen technological booms and busts before. Somebody is going to leapfrog the current brute-force throw-hardware-at-the-problem so-called AI. Few people in either room remembered Sun Microsystems, with their sophisticated, powerful, computer workstations. Which were leapfrogged by Intel PCs: not as sophisticated or powerful, but cheaper. Everybody now has in their pocket a device better than any of those.

So let’s not put all our eggs in one basket that may go away in a few years.

Sure, get any datacenter company to sign a long-term contract. Even then, beware you’re not signing with a shell company with no assets. And even if it’s a solid company, technological companies have a habit of going belly-up. Especially venture-capital-funded companies like DC BLOX.

And let’s not forget what these datacenters enable. So-called AI hallucinates no matter how good its training data –OpenAI 2025-09-18.

https://wwals.net/?p=69404

Somebody mentioned the videos of the July 2025 rezoning of the subject property in my other hat with Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE). Here they are:

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25109

In which Jeff Ford of 4633 Briarberry Drive remarked that the neighbors appreciate the concern of the Langdale family. But nothing prohibits sale of the land to somebody who does not care as much.

And at the recent VSU datacenter meeting, Pope Langdale confirmed that the deal would be an outright land sale to DC BLOX. DC BLOX is funded by venture capitalists. Anyone who has dealt with VCs, as I have, knows their promises are written on smoke.

In which Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted to know about the “developments of regional impact or large scale developments that are likely to have effects beyond the local government jurisdiction.”

It’s worth watching the rest of that discussion, which included that a data center was a likely use of the property.

Mark Wisenbaker was at the VSU meeting, but left early, perhaps tiring of hearing all the talk about his brother Gary Wisenbaker’s Valdosta Daily Times op-ed, “Data centers, done right, can work for Georgia.

https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/02/09/gary-wisenbaker-data-centers-done-right-can-work-for-georgia/

The seven conditions that the Planning Commission recommended by a 4:3 vote for the Langdale Capital Assets rezoning, and that the Lowndes County Commission adopted, are:

There shall be no access to Briarberry Drive and Quail Hollow Circle from the subject property.
Should a change in use occur where additional transportation and/or water/sewer infrastructure upgrades are required, the Developer will be responsible for the design, any acquisition of necessary right-of-way, relocation of utilities, and construction costs for the infrastructure improvements.
All lots shall front interior roads.
A 200′ undisturbed buffer shall be required along the Northern, and Southern property lines abutting current Residential Zoning District boundaries.
Any lighting located on the property shall be shielded and directed to avoid direct illumination of adjacent properties zoned Residentially.
Any loudspeakers, paging systems, or electromagnetic interference generated on or by uses of the property shall be designed, installed and used such that they are not discernable at any abutting property line zoned Residentially.
Correctional Facilities, Transitional Care Facilities, and Kennels with Outdoor Runs shall not be allowed.

Maps of the subject property are in the LAKE blog post about the Lowndes County Commission Board Packet 2025-07-07

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25100

Images of them are below, and this one here. The property is on Coleman Road, off of North Valdosta Road (US 41), across the Norfolk Southern Railroad from the Withlacoochee River and Langdale Park.

Rezoning Map for Langdale Capital Assets, Inc.
PDF

You can also see the LAKE videos of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission of June 30, 2025, when this same rezoning was considered, with many speakers against, and Pope Langdale speaking for.

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25097

Also speaking against was Gretchen Quarterman, 6565 Quarterman Road, at 19 minutes and 45 seconds. She said she wasn’t necessarily speaking against. But the subject property is directly across the Withlacoochee River from Langdale Park, which is chronically flooded. She wants to make sure the river is corrected. She noted that while crossing the railroad could be very difficult, that doesn’t mean it is impossible.

She took those LAKE videos, and she is among the founders of WWALS.

This is where creeks that run through the Foxborough subdivision enter the Withlacoochee River on the subject Langdale Capital Assets property across from Langdale Park.

Movie: CC Creek Confluence with Withlacoochee River across from Langdale Park, 2026:01:18 16:27:46, –jsq for WWALS 30.8884486, -83.3246801

https://wwals.net/?p=69269

Both Pope Langdale and Joe Brownlee mentioned that their companies are sponsors of WWALS. WWALS publishes press releases with lists of sponsors:

https://wwals.net/?p=68399

Sponsors, WWALS River Revue, 2025-09-06 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest
PDF

Georgia Power supports the WWALS water quality testing program.

https://wwals.net/issues/testing/

And Georgia Power sponsors the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle to make it free for everyone. That’s currently scheduled for March 7, but is about to be rescheduled to April 18.

https://wwals.net/?p=69322

WWALS is always clear with sponsors that we are an advocacy organization and we will continue to advocate as we see fit, no matter who donates. For example, I spoke at the Shareholder Meetings of Georgia Power’s parent Southern Company for a dozen years, against pipelines and nuclear power, until they got a new CEO who stopped holding such in-person meetings.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

I complimented the student organizers of the meeting. I congratulated Dr. Michael Noll of Lowndes Citizens Against Data Centers (LCAD) on a good meeting.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/