Brookwood recommends rezoning 370 acres for data center project
The short version: Brookwood's zoning board waved through a 370-acre data center rezoning, and the mayor answered follow-up questions by slamming his truck door and driving off.
Our Take
Credit to WBRC 6 News and reporter Josh Gauntt for chasing this story past the vote — a mayor slamming his door on a reporter's questions is its own kind of answer. When elected officials won't explain a 370-acre rezoning in their own town, that's a signal residents should be paying closer attention, not less.
Zoning recommendations like this one are where the real decisions get made, usually before most residents know a hyperscale project is even in the pipeline. Three hundred seventy acres isn't a modest warehouse footprint — it's the kind of parcel that comes with substation upgrades, water demands for cooling, and a tax abatement ask waiting in the wings. Alabama has been courting this industry hard, and Brookwood is a small town that will feel outsized impacts on its grid and its water system long after the ribbon-cutting.
We'll be tracking whether this rezoning moves to a final council vote, what utility commitments get attached, and whether Brookwood residents get a real public hearing or just a done deal with a press release. Check our facility map to see what's already been built near you, and if your town is facing a similar vote, our take-action page has tools for showing up before the door gets slammed.
This is GridWatch the USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WBRC 6 News, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.