$10B project backed by Burt Jones pairs hospital with wave of data centers
It’s becoming clear what type of development might surround a controversial rural hospital project south of Atlanta that’s backed by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and his family.
Mammoth data centers — and lots of them.
Computer storage warehouses are envisioned to comprise the bulk of a $10 billion Butts County megaproject site along I-75 owned by Jones’ father, according to a Tuesday state infrastructure filing. The project could include up to 11 million square feet of data centers, which is as much floor space as seven Lenox Square malls.
The project aims to extend the already sprawling River Park development, which is one of Middle Georgia’s largest industrial hot spots.
It’s an effort praised by some as transformational for a small county an hour southeast of Atlanta, but it’s also sparked criticism over whether policy changes backed by Jones could financially benefit his family’s business.
The plan centers on a 450,000-square-foot hospital, which could move forward more quickly by a health care rule overhaul supported by Jones, a Republican who is vying to become Georgia’s next governor.
The addition of data centers could add another layer of controversy as Georgia regulators, utilities and lawmakers contend with a nation-leading backlog of similar projects.
Jones spokeswoman Kayla Lott downplayed the filing, calling it a “simple rezoning application by a private company — a nonstory.”
Butts County Manager Brad Johnson said the development, along with the tax revenue it could generate, could be transformational for Middle Georgia.
“It’s a big deal for our community and for being an economic engine,” Johnson said. “For being a bedroom community for so long and to get some (tax) relief for our citizens is a big deal.”
Political scrutiny
Jones faced criticism in 2023 for pushing to rewrite Georgia’s certificate of need laws — regulations that govern where hospitals can be built — in a way that could have cleared the path for a proposed 100-bed private hospital on the property.
He later shelved that plan amid mounting questions about potential conflicts of interest. But last year, he helped shepherd a bipartisan bill backed by Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns that rolled back some of the same restrictions.
That has followed him onto the campaign trail. At a gathering of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals last week, Republican Attorney General Chris Carr accused the lieutenant governor of using public office for his personal benefit.
“If you honor me by allowing me to be your next governor, unlike the lieutenant governor I will promise you this: I will not change the rules or rig the system to enrich myself or my family on your backs or the backs of our fellow Georgians,” said Carr, who along with Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are the most prominent Republicans competing for the nomination.
Jones’ campaign swiftly pushed back, with Lott saying Carr is not a “serious candidate.”
“Chris Carr is grasping at straws because he’s stuck in a distant third place, his fundraising has tanked and the only folks paying attention are the ones on his payroll,” she said.
Site specifics
River Park has been years in the making, but its newly filed plans exponentially increase the project’s scope.
First proposed in 2019, the roughly 1,200-acre River Park along I-75 and Arthur K. Bolton Parkway is helmed by Henry County developer Doug Adams. Adams, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, is also developing another large industrial park called Legacy 75 Trade Center a few miles south of River Park in neighboring Lamar County.
Interstate Health Systems, which is owned by the lieutenant governor’s father, Bill Jones, acquired more than 250 acres just south of River Park and across I-75 to expand the project site.
In 2023, state filings for the Interstate Health Systems properties disclosed plans to build a hospital, medical office space and a swath of industrial and commercial spaces. But in Tuesday’s revision to those plans, nearly all of the future industrial buildings are now envisioned as data centers.
A site map obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows 13 data center sites straddling Arthur K. Bolton Parkway, which would act as an eastern buffer to the rest of the development plan.
The remainder of the project would consist of the hospital, 1.2 million square feet of medical office space and 500,000 square feet of assorted commercial development, such as a grocery store, restaurants or hotels.
Data center driven
The shift to focus on data centers isn’t surprising given the industry has found a welcoming home in Georgia — and has shown it’s willing to pay big bucks for large sites.
In July, Amazon Web Services paid roughly $270 million to buy a 985-acre development site within the Legacy 75 Trade Center to build a data center campus.
The Atlanta area has emerged in recent years as the country’s hottest data center market. By mid-2025, Atlanta was the second-largest market in the world as measured by power usage, trailing only Northern Virginia, according to real estate services firm CBRE.
The industry’s explosive growth stems from the soaring demand for digital storage driven by advances in artificial intelligence.
Elected leaders often court data centers because they’re massive investments that generate substantial property tax revenue without adding strain to local roads or public services. The River Park expansion’s state filing estimates it would bring in nearly $92 million a year in new local tax revenues once complete in 2040.
But the boom has also triggered a backlash. Critics point to the enormous power consumption of these facilities and, in some cases, their proximity to residential neighborhoods.
Several Georgia counties have imposed temporary moratoriums on new data center proposals, while Atlanta officials have banned them across much of the city.
Johnson, the Butts county manager, said these data center proposals in industrial corridors shouldn’t generate the same controversy.
“It’s out of the way. There’s not any residential areas around,” he said. “It’s in an industrial park, so there won’t be any inconvenience to our citizens, and that’s key.”
About the Authors
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
