Data center drama; Northlake Mall new future; positive The Benz notes

Recent city-planning drama involving data centers is afoot at points across the ITP landscape. Let’s start in…

CHAMBLEE—At its regular July meeting Tuesday, the Chamblee City Council voted to adopt a temporary moratorium that will reject any development applications related to new data centers in the DeKalb County city. 

The 180-day ban, according to city officials, will allow Chamblee leaders time to pore over existing code and decide whether revisions are in order to address data center development and “protect the health, safety, and welfare of [city] residents and businesses,” per an announcement. The moratorium will be in place through January 16 next year.  

At-Large councilmember Jimmy Furst, who spearheaded the legislation, noted that data centers tend to have “significant impacts on energy use, water resources, tree canopy, stormwater infrastructure, noise, and nearby neighborhoods” in a statement. The moratorium, per Furst, will give the city a chance “to carefully evaluate those impacts and establish thoughtful, locally appropriate standards before an application is submitted.” 

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ADAIR PARK—Meanwhile, southwest of downtown Atlanta, resident pushback against a planned half-billion-dollar, mixed-use data center project near MARTA’s West End station appears to be paying off—for now. 

The Atlanta City Council Zoning Committee voted 6-1 last week to table legislation related to a $500-million data center proposal put together by real estate investment firm Digital Realty, following the zoning review board’s earlier vote to deny it. The committee’s vote last week will delay the project for at least another month, before it can move on to the full city council for a potential vote, as Capital B Atlanta relays. 

Previously used for film production, the site in question at 713 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard is just north of The Met (where a hospital complex is planned) and just south of Interstate 20. 

According to Digital Realty, the Adair Park property is polluted after more than a century of various uses, and their proposal would include remediation. Also included in plans is new retail and commercial space along Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, where none exists today. 

The location would connect with Digital Realty’s current intown data centers at 250 Williams St. and 56 Marietta St., which according to project leaders provide digital infrastructure to more than 300 companies. Project leaders say the new facility would create 50 retail positions and between 150 and 300 permanent jobs. 

Current zoning, however, does not allow for new data centers so close to a MARTA station. 

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TUCKER—One of metro Atlanta’s many struggling, suburban-style malls could be in for an economic jolt soon. Just don’t expect a full return to traditional mall uses. 

Nonprofit the Centurion Foundation recently paid $95 million to buy aging Northlake Mall and its attached Emory Healthcare offices (formerly a Sears) from Texas-based owners ATR Corinth Partners, according to the AJC. Centurion’s acquisition includes the shuttered Macy’s store on site but not an equally closed JCPenney. Last month, several mall tenants (not including Dugan’s and other restaurants) were told they had 30 days to vacate their retail spaces. 

According to a press release, Centurion plans to transform the 1970s mall into a Northlake Campus for Emory Healthcare, where Emory will expand across the property in coming years as part of a long-term tenant agreement. Centurion officials also hinted at “future development of the campus” over time as Emory’s programming needs evolve. 

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DOWNTOWN—Here’s a positive note from the wake of 2026 FIFA World Cup in Atlanta (withdrawal is real). Mercedes-Benz Stadium (temporarily Atlanta Stadium) succeeded in welcoming more than 544,000 soccer fans across eight matches with no major issues, alongside more than 4,000 credentialed media, becoming something of a global viral stadium sensation in the process. 

But there's more... 

In a recap today, AMB Sports and Entertainment officials sent a few localized high notes, regarding what happened at The Benz during and after World Cup: 

Some 8,500 pounds of food were recovered and donated to Atlantans in need through Second Helpings Atlanta, per the agency. And now, more than 800 pieces of leftover furniture from the tournament have been donated to the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, while more than 3,000 pounds of fabric have been recovered for upcycling into products by local nonprofit re:loom.

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