Amazon has purchased hundreds of acres south of Atlanta that could serve as the home for the state’s next data center location.
The acquisition, initially reported by Barnesville Buzz, closed on July 25 at the cost of approximately $270 million, or an estimated $274,111 per acre.
According to property records filed with the Clerk of Superior Court in Lamar County, a region south of metro Atlanta, Amazon Data Services, Inc., purchased 984 acres of land for development last month. The mass media company obtained the property from High Falls 75 LLC, the developer behind Legacy 75 Trade Center, a $2 billion development project located alongside I-75.
Tim Abney, a Keller Williams Community Partners broker associated with the deal, declined to comment, citing an NDA agreement.
In a statement to WABE, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed the purchase and its potential use as a data hub.
“We are constantly evaluating new locations based on customer demand… and are performing due diligence in exploring possible data center locations,” the statement read.
In a statement released to the Barnesville Herald Gazette on Friday, Lamar County Commission Chairman Ryran Traylor stated that upcoming developments of Amazon’s plans will be revealed through upcoming pre-construction meetings with the county’s residents.
“At these meetings, Amazon will clarify their plans, providing greater insight into the nature and scope of their project,” said Taylor. “We recognize that industrial developments can impact surrounding properties, and we are committed to ensuring that this new project brings the minimal possible disruption to neighboring areas and Lamar County as a whole.”
The recent acquisition comes several months after the media giant announced in January its plans to invest an estimated $11 billion in Georgia to expand infrastructure “to support cloud computing and AI technologies.”
According to the company, its investment is expected to create roughly 550 high-skilled jobs for Georgia residents.
“We are delighted to expand our infrastructure into Georgia with this planned multibillion-dollar investment, which we expect to create more than 550 well-paying jobs and drive significant economic growth for the state,” said Amazon Web Services vice president of economic development Roger Wehner in a January press release.
“State and local leaders have cultivated an environment that enables companies like AWS to make bold, forward-looking investments. We are excited to deepen our partnership with the state of Georgia and contribute to the continued advancement of its thriving technology landscape.”
