Lovejoy City Council Meeting - 7/20/26

Thank you to everyone who attended the Lovejoy City Council meeting and to those who continue supporting this petition in opposition to the impending data center. The meeting provided an opportunity for residents to ask questions and voice concerns about the proposed data center. While the discussion was candid, many important questions remain unanswered. During the meeting, the Mayor, who also serves as the City Manager, stated that the City Council stands with the citizens in opposition to the proposed data center. She also stated that a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) review team will be involved in evaluating the project and that the review will include numerous local officials. Additionally, she shared that she is a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). We appreciate these statements, but our community deserves more than assurances—we deserve transparency, documentation, and clear communication. Residents are still seeking answers to important questions, including: - When was the property sold, and who were the parties involved? - When was the ordinance or zoning code amended to allow data centers as a permitted or conditional use on land that was annexed as Residential Agricultural (RA)? - What public notice was provided before these actions occurred? - What authority does the City currently have to prevent the project from moving forward? We have also heard from members of the community that residents did not initiate the annexation process. Instead, individuals reportedly went door-to-door asking residents to sign annexation-related documents. Those reportedly approached included renters, residents with limited English proficiency, and older adults who may not have fully understood what they were being asked to sign. These reports raise important questions about how community support for the annexation was represented and whether everyone who signed understood the purpose and potential impact of the documents. We believe these concerns deserve a thorough and transparent explanation. The cities of Lovejoy and Hampton are home to more than 22,000 residents, and the surrounding communities that would also be impacted bring that number even higher. Decisions of this magnitude deserve an open, transparent process that gives every resident the opportunity to be informed and heard. As this process continues, we are calling on the Mayor and City Council to demonstrate their commitment to transparency by: - Publishing City Council meeting minutes promptly. - Live-streaming all City Council meetings so every resident has access, even if they cannot attend in person. - Providing an overflow viewing area during meetings with high public attendance so all constituents can observe and participate. - Keeping the community informed of any applications, permits, zoning requests, or other actions related to proposed data centers as soon as they are received by the City. - Ensuring residents have meaningful opportunities to ask questions and provide input before decisions are made. This petition has always been about more than a single project. It is about ensuring that the people of Lovejoy and surrounding areas are informed, heard, and included in decisions that will shape the future of our community. Thank you for continuing to sign, share, and stand with our community. Together, we will continue advocating for transparency, accountability, and honest communication every step of the way. There is a lot of traffic on NextDoor showing the community’s opposition to this data center. Let’s stay on top of this and get the answers we deserve.