All four Planning Commissioners present voted to recommend approval of the proposed Special Exception for the Data Center near Irwinville, last Thursday, February 26, 2026.

Datacenter: recommended approval, Irwin County Planning Commission, After many speakers, most against 2026-02-26

The next stop is the Irwin County Commission, this Monday, March 2, 2026, at 5:45 PM, in the same location, the Irwin County Courthouse, 301 South Irwin Avenue, Ocilla, Ga. 31774.

After numerous people spoke against and a few for that item, IC-SE-01-2026, two of the members of the Ocilla-Irwin County Planning Advisory Commission spoke at length about what they had been told or read or saw on a visit to another datacenter, as why they were for it, plus the promise of $20 million a year in tax revenue.

None of that was in the extremely thin board packet. So thin that their staff, Jessica Harris, Irwin County Interim Chief Appraiser, said at the beginning of that item that staff had no recommendation for or against because there was not enough information to go on.

The other two Planning Commissioners said they were for tabling the item due to lack of information.

However, one of the two for the project, Chairman Alan Smith, moved for approval. The other one, Vice Chair Tara Smith, seconded. And the remaining two, Arlinda Murrell and Ms. Walker, reluctantly also raised their hands.

Questions not answered with any documentation continue to include who is the datacenter customer (Google?), where are the specifications for the closed loop cooling water system, and what would those 200-300 high-paying local permanent jobs be doing, that were advertised in the slides for Irwin Forward Tech Park.

The proposed location is on Ponderosa Drive, Irwinville, Georgia 31783, quite near the Alapaha River.

Below are links to each WWALS video of each speaker or topic, with a few notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a WWALS video playlist.

Most speakers were against the special exception, except for the few noted as for or as part of or attorney for the applicant.

Apologies for any incorrect names. And the notes are paraphrases, not quotes.

• Relax the agenda
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/wgcuXJbpHIY

  Datacenter: recommended approval –Irwin County Planning Commission 2026-02-26
  Videos by John S. Quarterman and Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS)
  https://wwals.net/2026/03/01/datacenter-recommended-approval-irwin-county-planning-commission-2026-02-26/

• Introductions – approval of minutes, previous meeting
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/AiWSUQoQreg

  
  

• Election of officers: same as before
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/ZkiUPoUQ3vk

  
  

• No conflicts interest, IC-SE-01-2026 – no staff rec.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/eHaqCTlY_jE

  
  

• Patrick Kines, atty, Tifton, rep. Springhill Villas
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/wE2ZIoaJcng

  Patrick Kunes, attorney in Tifton, representing Springhill Villas, 65 acres on Tifton Highway, due south of the proposed development, owned by Joe and Ronda Kunes, who live on the Tifton side of the Alapaha River, close to the bridge. They are all against the datacenter as a rush job with little transparency, such as closed loop, power grid, emissions, noise, lights, environmental study.
  

• Patrick Atwater, 400 acres Alapaha River hunting land
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/DeVn97H-Whg

  Patrick Atwater, 400 acres of hunting land on Irwin County side of the Alapaha River, said buy property that’s already zoned.
  

• Gary M. Granger, power dist., firehouse, EMS, wells
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/4ZbrzmWCKgA

  Gary M. Granger, 424 Alapaha (River) Road, against, because of need for power distribution center, and would there be a firehouse and EMS on site, and would those be available to the community? Also local water wells, and more.
  

• Dr. Erik Bernstein, property a mile from site: dark sky
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/bpFpZ2TKXn0

  Dr. Erik Bernstein, was at Tift Regional, drove from Savannah for the hearing, has property about a mile from the subject site. Concerned about rural area, hunting, dark sky, water, aquifer, and river. Proposed site is currently all conservation land.
  

• Marvin Peavy, 1500 acre farm, water, datacenters not lasting
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/UVG8wKpfISA

  Marvin Peavy, 1500 acre farm in Tift and Irwin Counties, big lake, mentioned opposition in Ware and Brantley Counties, worried about water, and about datacenters not lasting.
  

• Walter Hudson, for, Chair of Hospital Board. Wants the taxes.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/Zx5mbznkipI

  Walter Hudson, for, played recording of datacenters in Lithium Springs. Chair of Hospital Board. Wants the taxes.
  

• Leanne Hooks, half mile from site. Our farm, wildlife – home.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/iiiZ8tA7XiI

  Leanne Hooks, lives half a mile from the proposed site; has barn built in 1890. Not vacant land. Our farm, our wildlife and our home. Do you have real data showing how industrial water use will affect nearby wells? Etc.
  

• Gerald Houseman, Applicant atty, Russ Bryant – Premier Data Dev.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/o61K2elTNeY

  Gerald Houseman, for, Attorney for the applicant, Russ Bryant and Premier Data Development.
  

• Gerald Houseman, for, closed loop, buffers, ordinance soon, tax rev.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/jR-3Yz4G_Io

  Gerald Houseman, for, cont. 1: most water is closed loop. 2. good buffers and ordinance is being worked on. Said datacenters offer tremendous sources of tax revenue (did not quite say this one would).
  

• Johnny Spurlin, atty for many: tax rev. irrelevant to zoning
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/9cRVx2J2oVI

  Johnny Spurlin, attorney in Tifton, speaking for a number of people, said tax revenue generation is irrelevant to a zoning analysis. Should apply the facts, but we don’t know the facts. Said zoning ordinance says it’s to protect the many from the few. Wait until there is an ordinance and specific facts and circumstances, so it can be controled.
  

• Applause for Spurlin. Marvin Peavey: 10 people would give 5 min.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/QnsAEvYJUik

  Applause for Johnny Spurlin. Marvin Peavey said he has 10 more people who would give another 5 minutes to Johnny Spulin.
  

• John Brownlee, farm near site. Agriculture is national security
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/DGnKHI6OHSM

  John Brownlee, lives in Tift, has farm in Irwin, less than half a mile from the site. Said something of this magnitude should be more transparent: water, agriculture, environment, wildlife. Agriculture will be as much national security as military.
  

• King Wilbert(?), for, convinced opportunity cannot afford to pass.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/urKikFxAJJg

  King Wilbert(?), for, is convinced it is an opportunity the county cannot afford to pass.
  

• Heather Brasell, Alapaha River, Berrien County: many specifics missing
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/lOPFg8_DIU8

  Heather Brasell, lives on the Alapaha River in Berrien County, invested in the local community, said many specifics missing. Concern is conservation; was on state Wildlife Action Committee.
  

• Unknown name
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/NaES_Mw2lUs

  Unknown name
  

• Unknown name, for, says outside people enjoying things we don’t have.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/Tqb4D8GpbNg

  Unknown name, for, says outside people enjoying things we don’t have.
  

• ? Hall: Do it right, or leave it alone.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/t6Rv-yvqadU

  ? Hall, Microsoft certified systems engineer, says Wiregrass training people is not so easy. Says the applicants haven’t told us anything. Do it right, or leave it alone.
  

• I’ll clear the room –Chair
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/bh4uoXoHpR8

  I’ll clear the room –Chair
  

• Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Where is the evidence?
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/MmRV752lzeE

  Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, said same discussion in Lowndes County about needing money. The packet is one of the flimsiest he’d ever seen. The document that said poor farmland was from the applicants, and made many promises, but where is the evidence, specifications, or references? AI is a bubble. Datacenters are crude; they will be obsolete. SB 34 got watered down in committee, so can’t depend on not paying extra for power. No grand jury would indite on this lack of evidence.
  

• Thomas Stripling. Closest land. Center pivot: 1.5 million gallons
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/kzEQtEMj0TE

  Chat between Chair and Marvin Peavy, then Thomas Stripling. Land closest to it. Won’t bother him. Center pivot for 24 hours uses 1.5 million gallons for 1 inch of water.
  

• ? lives on Alapaha River few miles away. Irrigation runs occasionally
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/SKw3QvdNgdA

  ? lives on the Alapaha River a few miles away. Once we give up farming, we cannot get it back. Irrigation runs only occasionally.
  

• Dillon Hendrix, for, AI race is national security
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/-vfduL6rbAo

  Dillon Hendrix, for, says we are in an AI race and it is a matter of national security.
  

• Joshua ?, for, said you cannot hear, see – closed loop
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/wHXB0hZhqnQ

  Joshua ?, for, civil engineer, lives in Alpharetta, said there is a large datacenter happening in Lowndes County near I-75. Said you cannot hear or see the equipment, closed loop you only fill up once, etc. No written evidence.
  

• Mike ?, part of applicant, wants to be transparent
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/pgiRCqcjnJY

  Mike ?, for, part of the applicant, been in the business for 15 years, now can put datacenters in places they never dreamed, partly because does not need fiber network. Said this group has experience and wants to be transparent. No written evidence.
  

• Inaudible, for, working datacenter ordinance with county comm.
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/kdtiEBAeGjs

  Inaudible, for, said they were working on a datacenter ordinance with the county commission, with buffers, setbacks, etc. No written evidence.
  

• Deliberation – unanimous vote to recommend approval
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/GUrRehZrxLw

  Deliberation by Planning Commissioners, with unanimous vote to recommend approval
  

Here is the LAKE video playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qy1cFygdM-yq14RUIiXW_JJ&si=bdH8Gqv7cIpmoDQD

 -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/

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