"After the Bessemer City Council voted 5-2 to rezone nearly 700 acres of agricultural land for the “hyperscale” server farm, a dissenting council member said city officials who signed non-disclosure agreements weren’t being transparent with citizens."
"BESSEMER, Ala. — Cleo King prays about every vote he casts on behalf of the people he represents in this city of 25,000 just southwest of Birmingham.
And on Tuesday, King said those prayers led him to vote against rezoning hundreds of acres of forested land at the city’s edge to make way for a 4.5 million square foot data center. King and his colleague Donna Thigpen were the only two council members to vote against the proposal, called “Project Marvel,” which has been nearly universally opposed by the residents who live near the site.
Five members of the Bessemer City Council, a majority, voted to approve the rezoning, providing a path forward for the massive $14.5 billion project, billed by developers as one of the largest private investments in state history.
In paving the way for Project Marvel, King said the council has made a grave mistake, discounting residents’ legitimate concerns about the impacts of the construction and operation of a data center slated to include 18 buildings the size of Walmart Supercenters and consume a massive amount of water and electricity."
Lee Hedgepeth reports for Inside Climate News November 18, 2025.
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