A cell tower site outside Atlanta, Georgia, is set to be converted into a data center campus.

First reported by the Marietta Daily Journal and WSB Atlanta, the Marietta City Council this month unanimously approved a rezoning request for a data center development at 1751 Bells Ferry Road, located northwest of Atlanta in the Cobb County city of Marietta.

MMM Acquisitions LLC was requesting to rezone 31.437 acres from CRC (Community Retail Commercial) to LI (Light Industrial), along with a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP).

The company aims to develop a 347,200 sq ft (32,255 sqm) data center campus with a substation, while the SLUP will allow for the relocation of the existing cell tower.

The planning commission had recommended approval, and the city council voted 7-0 to approve the rezoning. Some nearby residents spoke out against the project, with some concerned about the impact the facility might have on other energy ratepayers in the area if the utility has to build out new infrastructure to serve the data center.

The project could see the development of two two-story data center buildings. DC-1, measuring 213,600 sq ft (19,844 sqm), will offer 72MW (48MW IT load). DC-2, totaling 133,600 sq ft (12,411 sqm), will offer 36MW (24MW IT load). The site will reportedly use a closed loop cooling system.

The site, along the Interstate 75 Express toll road and close to a power line, is largely undeveloped but currently contains five billboards along the interstate and a cell tower. The land is owned by James Freeman, LLC.

There is a residential development on the east side of the site. The campus would be graded so most of the 105 ft (32 meters) tall facility is below the eyeline of the residential properties, with new trees planted to further obscure the data centers from view.

Information about MMM Acquisitions links the company to Grindcap, an Atlanta-based commercial real estate development and investment firm founded in 2018 with a focus on industrial and multi-family real estate projects. The company told DCD it has five data center projects across the Atlanta area in various stages of development.

The existing cell tower was built around 1994 and accommodates antennas for multiple service providers, including AT&T, Clearwire, Nexlink, Metro PCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Set to be moved closer to the site’s entrance driveway, it’s unclear whether the relocation of the tower will see the existing structure re-used or an entirely new one built. The five billboards were erected around 1998.

City documents noted: “The proposed data center campus represents a significant opportunity to enhance the property’s economic use. This development is anticipated to generate considerable tax revenue for both the City of Marietta and the Marietta City School System.”

In the application, GrindCap said: “Grind Capital Group is excited to move forward with this transformative project and looks forward to continuing collaboration with the City of Marietta throughout the rezoning and development process. We believe this project will serve as a catalyst for future technology-driven growth in the region.”

A number of companies are looking to deploy small Edge data centers at cell tower sites. American Tower recently launched a larger, multi-megawatt facility at a tower site in North Carolina.

Many telecoms firms have also developed data centers at radio and TV tower sites.