Alpharetta planning commission approves data-center expansion and on-site utility substation with screening and conditions

The Alpharetta Planning Commission on Oct. 1 approved a master-plan amendment, conditional use and variance to allow a roughly 60,000-square-foot expansion of an existing data center at 4905 Northpointe Parkway and an on-site utility substation that will encroach into an existing 100-foot undisturbed buffer. Planning staff recommended approval with 29 conditions tying landscape, screening and noise mitigation to final review.

Planning staff presented the project and said the substation was requested by Georgia Power after site work began; Michael Woodman, planning staff, described the proposal and the package of recommended conditions, including allowing the substation to encroach up to 60 feet into the buffer, requiring up to 22-foot screen walls and that the substation serve only the subject property. "When staff received the applicant's initial request, we had some concerns initially and we asked the applicant to explore alternate locations for the utility substation on the property," Woodman said, describing why the northwest corner was chosen after alternatives would have required clearing hundreds of trees.

Joe Imperato, representing GI Partners (the owner/manager of the property), said the facility is at capacity and the substation and expansion respond to evolving technical needs: "We're the owner, as you know, here, of this asset, 4905 Northpointe Parkway," he said, adding the applicant will work with Georgia Power and the city on screening and plantings. The applicant provided a sample of a nonconductive screening material and committed to additional landscape plantings to help the wall blend into the streetscape.

Commissioners questioned where authority for some condition language would sit, whether the 500-foot notification radius covered nearby lots, the feasibility of undergrounding transmission connections, and potential acoustic and EMF impacts. Staff and the applicant said a required noise study will be submitted prior to occupancy and that undergrounding the necessary transmission mains would not be feasible without substantial additional clearing and excavation.

A commissioner moved to approve the project with edits that explicitly authorize staff review for specified items, expand the noise/screening condition to cover power equipment as well as cooling equipment, add a date to the submitted screen-wall materials, and include a new Condition 30 requiring a minimum 12-foot public-art sculpture at Kimball Bridge Road and Northpointe Parkway. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. Woodman noted the item will go before the City Council on Oct. 26, 2026.

The approval ties the substation to the subject property only, requires a noise study and additional landscape screening, and preserves the tree-save requirements from prior approvals; staff recommended the conditions to balance the facility's operational needs with neighborhood and streetscape impacts.