Microsoft Corporation has put a large data center campus in northwest Georgia into the state's regional-impact review process. Filings with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) describe a three-building development of up to 1,659,000 square feet in unincorporated Floyd County, near Rome, with 422 MW of electric service from Georgia Power.

The project is listed as DRI #4860 under the name "ATL80." According to the DCA application summary, Floyd County submitted both the Initial and Additional Development of Regional Impact (DRI) forms on Oct. 20, 2026. DCA determined on Oct. 22 that the project "warrants regional review" and certified the submission complete the same day. The Coosa Valley Regional Commission is the regional body handling the review.

What the State Filing Says

On the DRI Initial Information Form, the site is listed as "0 Huffaker Road." The form describes the project as "a data center development, consisting of 3 buildings totaling up to 1,659,000 square feet" on 349.03 total acres. It names Microsoft Corporation of 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, as the developer and gives 2032 as the buildout year. The DCA summary classifies the project as a "Technological Facility (Including Data Centers)" and notes that it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

The DRI Information Form Part 2 has more detail on infrastructure and money:

  • Power: Georgia Power is listed as the supplier, at 422 MW / 444 MVA. Planned improvements include an on-site substation, a transmission line extension and back-up generators described as diesel-only. The form separately lists batteries in answer to its hazardous-waste question.
  • Water: Floyd County is the water supplier, with sources listed as Old Mill Spring and groundwater. Maximum daily demand is given as 0.0135 million gallons per day (MGD), or about 13,500 gallons per day.
  • Wastewater: The City of Rome entry shows 0.0102 MGD maximum daily demand, about 10,200 gallons per day. The form says on-site treatment and direct discharge will be used and that no water reuse is planned.
  • Traffic: A transportation study by NV5 projects 874 total daily trips, with 93 in the morning peak hour and 83 in the evening peak hour.
  • Value, taxes and jobs: The form lists an estimated value at build-out of $340,000,000, "Est. Annual Local Tax Revenue" of $36,000,000 and 150 full-time employees.
  • Wetlands and streams: The project needs Section 404/401 permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. The form lists impacts to about 0.81 acres of wetland and 2,255 linear feet of stream, to be offset through a private mitigation bank.

The form also lists 456 tons of solid waste a year, a 39.7% impervious-surface share and stormwater wet ponds as a mitigation measure.

How the Numbers Differ Across Reports

Earlier coverage of the project includes figures that do not match the state record. Trade outlet Baxtel, reporting on Oct. 22, cited two secondary sources that disagree with each other.

Citing DCD, Baxtel reported a built-out value of $360 million, $35 million in annual local tax revenue, completion in 2032, 150 employees and maximum water use of 13,500 gallons per day. Citing Rome's Druck newsletter, it reported a $340 million cost, $26 million in annual tax revenue and water demand of 135,000 gallons per day.

The DCA form, which is the primary record, lists $340 million in project value, which matches the Druck figure, and $36 million in estimated annual local tax revenue, which matches neither. Its water figure of 0.0135 MGD works out to 13,500 gallons per day. That agrees with the DCD figure and is one-tenth of the 135,000 gallons per day attributed to the Druck newsletter. This article uses the DCA figures. The 150-employee figure reported by Baxtel citing DCD also appears on the DCA form.

Land, Incentives and Local Rules

Baxtel reported that Microsoft already owns the land, which it bought in 2023 under the name "Project Firecracker." It also reported that the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority approved industrial revenue bonds for the project in 2023, with a 12-year partial abatement of building taxes.

The filing comes after Floyd County tightened its local rules on data centers this year. According to Baxtel, which attributed the details to AllOnGeorgia, the county adopted an 80-day moratorium on data centers in June 2026. On Aug. 25 it adopted an ordinance that limits data centers to heavy industrial zoning and requires a study of their impact on power, water and broadband.

Other counties have noticed that ordinance. NewsChannel 9 reported on Aug. 28 that Walker County committee members writing their own data center rules named Floyd County's recently adopted ordinance as a possible model. That report did not mention the Microsoft project.

What a DRI Review Does

In the DRI process, the local government submits the forms, as Floyd County did here, and the Georgia DCA record shows a determination on whether the project warrants regional review. For ATL80, DCA made that decision on Oct. 22, two days after the forms were submitted. The review is a coordination and comment step. The DCA record does not show any local zoning or permitting decision on the project.

What Happens Next

The DCA application summary lists the project's status as "Certified Complete." The next scheduled step is the projected completion of the regional review process on Nov. 21, 2026. Separately, the DRI Part 2 form says the project will need Section 404/401 permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Georgia EPD for its wetland and stream impacts. The sources do not give dates for those permits. The developer lists 2032 as the buildout year.

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