Across Georgia, data centers are draining resources, polluting neighborhoods, increasing health risks, and driving up the cost of living for working people. These massive facilities overwhelmingly serve the interests of corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and IBM — not the communities forced to bear the burden.

Now, Athena Studios on Athena Drive is slated to be converted into a 1.3 million sq ft data center, directly across from the Spring Valley trailer park community. Families who already face economic hardship will be forced to absorb the noise, pollution, and utility cost increases while corporations reap the profits.

Athens-Clarke County has passed a temporary moratorium on data centers — yet the Athena Studios project has been exempted, allowing it to move forward despite widespread community concern. We demand that Athens-Clarke County immediately apply the moratorium to this proposed data center.

Data centers are notorious for offering huge tax breaks while providing almost no long-term employment. After construction, most facilities create only about 20 permanent jobs, while the surrounding community suffers the long-term consequences:

Environmental & Health Impacts
Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity — and closed-loop cooling systems require 5–20 MW more power than alternative systems, driving up utility bills for local residents who subsidize Big Tech’s energy appetite.

Equipment runs 24/7, emitting low-frequency noise that disrupts sleep, worsens stress, and reduces quality of life.

Diesel backup generators release particulate matter and toxic fumes, contributing to asthma, heart disease, and poor air quality in nearby neighborhoods.

These facilities dump heated exhaust air directly into the surrounding environment, raising temperatures and increasing household cooling costs.

Economic Impacts
Massive tax incentives are granted to corporations while local schools, public services, and residents receive little to no benefit.

Spiking electricity demand from data centers raises household bills across the region — a cost quietly passed on to working families.

The project would be built directly beside one of Athens’ lowest-income communities, furthering environmental injustice and economic inequality.

Athens deserves a program that prioritizes people, not corporate profit. Say NO to the Athena Studios data center — and YES to protecting our community.