For months, residents of Peachtree City have packed city council meetings with a question their elected leaders say has a simple answer — but one that a paper trail, a partially withheld audio recording, and a 1,100-acre land deal keep complicating: Is a data center coming here?
Mayor Kim Learnard says no. The Fayette County Development Authority says no. QTS, the data center company residents fear most, says it has held no meetings in Peachtree City about a new facility. And a city spokesman confirmed that data centers cannot even receive a zoning application under current city rules. Yet the questions have not stopped — and an Atlanta News First investigation into the city's own records helps explain why.
At the center of residents' concerns is a February 11 purchase of roughly 1,100 acres of land near Lake McIntosh Park, just outside Peachtree City's border in Coweta County. Real estate records reviewed by Atlanta News First Investigates show the buyer was Property Reserve Inc., a Utah nonprofit corporation, which then transferred the land to a Georgia company called Coweta McIntosh LLC. The name listed on the deed paperwork next to the LLC is Richard Ferry. Previous local reporting tied Ferry to Brent Scarbrough and Company, a developer that helped build other data centers in metro Atlanta. Neither Ferry nor the company responded to requests for comment.
Resident James Clifton, who is now campaigning for Fayette County District 3 and says he entered the race after concerned citizens asked him to get involved, has led the public push for answers. He has pointed to the park land's direct water access, sprawling acreage, and location as characteristics that make it attractive for a large-scale data center — and he draws a direct line to what he watched unfold roughly 30 miles away.
I saw how QTS came to Fayetteville. I saw exactly what happened and promised myself I would not let that happen again.— James Clifton, Fayette County District 3 candidate
When I look out at Lake McIntosh and I see that beautiful view, it would be heartbreaking to see those trees cut down and a massive data center put on it. It's just unfathomable to me that's even a consideration.— James Clifton, Fayette County District 3 candidate
The land in question sits just outside Peachtree City's limits in Coweta County, meaning the city would have to annex it before any city-sanctioned development could occur. City officials say that annexation is not planned. But an audio recording from a January Peachtree City Council retreat — obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates and not initially released when first requested — added fuel to residents' suspicions.
For us it's going to come down to the annexation study and where — because stuff like this, if it's a data center or whatever it is — if we want to get to the point where we can really work on the homestead and get relief for people, where are we going to put it where people still feel like, okay, we're still Peachtree City.— City staff, Peachtree City Council retreat recording
In the same recording, Fayette County Development Authority President Niki Vanderslice told councilmembers she did not want to bring potential partners to the table only to have the council reject them outright, and that she wanted officials to reach a point where they were '75% there' before 'closing the deal.' Vanderslice told Atlanta News First Investigates that the remarks were part of a broader economic development strategy presentation called Foremost Fayette — not a pitch for data centers — and that the development authority has no role in attracting data centers to the area.
We are not trying to bring QTS or any other data center to Peachtree City. We have not talked to anyone about data centers coming to Peachtree City.— Niki Vanderslice, Fayette County Development Authority President
Learnard offered the same interpretation of Vanderslice's retreat remarks — that the development authority director was essentially telling the council not to waste anyone's time if data centers were unwelcome.
What [Vanderslice] was telling us is don't waste my time or don't waste a data center's time if they're not wanted in our community. They're not coming. We are not interested as a city council in entertaining any proposals.— Mayor Kim Learnard, Peachtree City
The delay in releasing the retreat recordings became its own flashpoint. Learnard said it took time to confirm that the recording secretary had remaining backup files, and that once discovered, the recordings were provided in full and posted online. Critics saw the delay as evidence of the opacity they had been alleging all along.
I believe if we had transparency, the public would show up and they would say that they are against this proposition and our elected leaders and the developer don't want that.— James Clifton, Fayette County District 3 candidate
Learnard has also addressed the broader rumor environment directly, releasing a public letter to residents pushing back on what she called misinformation circulating online. The letter stated that no proposals were presented, no negotiations occurred, and no decisions about data centers were made at the retreat. She also clarified that the ongoing annexation study — the city's first since 2014, according to Learnard — is a planning tool to evaluate jurisdictional boundaries, not a mechanism to absorb the Coweta County land. Results of that study are expected in the coming weeks, according to WRDW.
How do you prove a negative when there's no data center coming. How do I prove that?— Mayor Kim Learnard, Peachtree City
On the question of annexation itself, Learnard said Coweta County has made its position clear: it does not want Peachtree City expanding into its territory. She acknowledged discussing the acreage near Lake McIntosh with Coweta County commissioners but said it was part of broader conversations about multiple topics. Even if the city wanted to annex the land, she said, the neighboring county's opposition would be a significant barrier.
What happens next may depend less on any single revelation and more on whether the annexation study results, expected soon, satisfy or intensify public scrutiny. Clifton has said he will not stop pressing the issue. And as long as the land near Lake McIntosh remains in the hands of an LLC connected — through prior reporting — to a data center developer, residents who have been showing up to council meetings for months are unlikely to take officials purely at their word.
Why it matters — If the land near Lake McIntosh were ever annexed and developed as a data center, it would fundamentally alter the character, environment, and tax base of Peachtree City — and the annexation study results due in coming weeks will be the next test of whether officials' denials hold up.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Richard Ferry is connected to Brent Scarbrough and Company, a developer that helped build data centers in metro Atlanta.
Sources differ on Meaning of Niki Vanderslice's remarks at the January council retreat about being '75% there' and 'closing the deal': Residents and critics say the language suggests active behind-the-scenes planning for a data center. (atlantanewsfirst.com) vs Vanderslice says the remarks were part of a broad economic development strategy presentation (Foremost Fayette) and were not a data center pitch; the development authority has no role in attracting data centers. (atlantanewsfirst.com)
Sources differ on Whether the delay in releasing council retreat audio recordings reflects a lack of transparency: Critics say the initial non-release is evidence of opacity around data center planning. (wrdw.com) vs Mayor Learnard says it took time to confirm the recording secretary had backup files; recordings were then provided in full and posted online. (atlantanewsfirst.com)
Reported by apple.com, atlantanewsfirst.com, wrdw.com, wsbtv.com
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.