Burkhalter Road data center in Statesboro
Also called: 4AM Development data center, RZ 26-07-05
A developer plans one two-story data center building of about 230,000 square feet on 26.5 acres on Burkhalter Road. Court papers describe it as a 99-megawatt campus, just under the size the city's rules aimed to block. The city approved the rezoning in August 2026, and residents have sued.
Where things stand: Statesboro City Council narrowly approved the rezoning on Aug. 18, 2026. Residents and a nonprofit sued on Sept. 17, 2026, and a group plans a petition to repeal the city's data center ordinance.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 17, 2026): Coastal Communities United and 11 residents sued the city and 4AM Development in Bulloch County Superior Court to reverse the rezoning.
What we know
- 📍 Where6539 Burkhalter Road, inside Statesboro city limits, Statesboro, Bulloch County
- 🏢 Company4AM Development LLC
- 🌳 Size26.49 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs99 megawatts (about as much as 79,200 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromPlans include a 32,000-square-foot electrical substation on the site.
- 💧 WaterCity of Statesboro · 1,000 gallons a day
- ❄️ CoolingClosed-loop, water-based cooling system
- 💸 Tax breaksA city fiscal study estimated $21.8 million in new city revenue over 10 years. No tax break has been reported.
- 👷 Jobs promised9
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Who is the end user (tenant)? 🙋 I'll find out
- Which utility will supply the power, and will new power lines be needed? 🙋 I'll find out
- How many diesel backup generators will there be? 🙋 I'll find out
- When must the city answer the lawsuit, and when is the first court hearing? 🙋 I'll find out
- Has a special use permit been applied for? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- June 2, 2026Statesboro City Council passed rules for data centers, including a 50-acre size limit, a noise study and a special use permit.
- Aug 4, 2026Statesboro Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend rezoning the 26.5 acres from high-density housing (R-4) to office and business.
- Aug 18, 2026Statesboro City Council narrowly approved the rezoning.
- Sept 17, 2026Coastal Communities United and 11 residents sued the city and 4AM Development in Bulloch County Superior Court to reverse the rezoning.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
A local nonprofit and eleven property owners sued the City of Statesboro and developer 4 AM Development to overturn the Burkhalter Road data center rezoning. They say the 99-megawatt project is right at the 'hyperscale' size the city's own rules were meant to keep out, and that the city did not study traffic, water, wetlands, power or fire safety.
🗺️ Zoning change
Statesboro City Council voted 3-2 to rezone about 26.5 acres at 6539 Burkhalter Road from apartment (R-4) zoning to office/business zoning for a planned 99-megawatt data center by 4 AM Development. Residents have sued to overturn it.
📜 Data center rules
Statesboro changed its development code to allow data centers in its office/business (O) zoning district and to ban very large 'hyperscale' data centers inside city limits.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Statesboro Planning Commission backs proposed data center rezoning in 5-1 vote · WTOC · Aug 4, 2026
- Statesboro provides timeline of data center discussions · WSAV · Sept 1, 2026
- Statesboro's data center rezoning challenged in lawsuit · WSAV · Sept 21, 2026
- Group sues Statesboro over data center rezoning · WTOC · Sept 22, 2026
- U.S. Census geocoder: 6539 Burkhalter Road, Statesboro, GA · U.S. Census Bureau · Oct 7, 2026
See something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.