Project Ruby data center campus in Upatoi (Columbus)
Also called: Project Ruby
Developers plan a $5 billion-plus data center campus on about 900 rural acres in Upatoi, east of Columbus. It could need up to 600 megawatts of power. The city passed new data center zoning rules in June 2026, and neighbors are suing to stop them.
Where things stand: Columbus Council passed a Technology Overlay District law for big data centers on June 16, 2026. Neighbors sued to throw it out. The project still needs its own rezoning application.
🕒 Latest update (June 22, 2026): A landowner group and nearby property owners sued the city in Muscogee County Superior Court to block the new law.
What we know
- 📍 WhereRoughly 900 acres in the rural Upatoi area of northeastern Muscogee County, near McKee Road, Columbus, Muscogee County
- 🏢 CompanyHabitat Real Estate Partners, with Atlas Development
- 🌳 Size900 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs600 megawatts (about as much as 480,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromA 600 megawatt connection was reportedly requested from Flint Energies: 200 MW in 2029, growing through 2034.
- 💧 WaterColumbus Water Works was contacted about the project in July 2025
- 💵 Cost$5 billion
- 💸 Tax breaksThe Columbus development authority reportedly is not offering tax breaks to data center developers.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Who is the end user (tenant)? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water will it use per day? 🙋 I'll find out
- Without diesel generators, will it build gas power or other power on site? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will new high-voltage power lines be built through Upatoi? 🙋 I'll find out
- What did the judge decide in the neighbors' lawsuit? 🙋 I'll find out
- When will the rezoning application for the site be heard? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Feb 2026Choose Columbus announced the Development Authority of Columbus was negotiating with Habitat Partners for a $5 billion-plus data center site.
- March 2026Dozens of residents spoke against Project Ruby at Columbus Council while the city drafted data center rules.
- June 16, 2026Columbus Council voted 6-2 to pass the Technology Overlay District law (Ordinance 26-034), allowing big data centers on farm and rural land of 75 acres or more. It bans diesel backup generators.
- June 22, 2026A landowner group and nearby property owners sued the city in Muscogee County Superior Court to block the new law.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- $5bn data center project in the works around Columbus, Georgia · Data Center Dynamics · March 3, 2026
- Columbus residents fight plan to build a huge data center in their backyard · The Georgia Sun · March 12, 2026
- Neighbors sue Columbus in data center fight · The Georgia Sun · June 24, 2026
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