Marietta City Council Meeting - August 12, 2026

The Marietta City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting began with an invocation by Council Member Cheryl Richardson and a Presentation of Colors by the MHS AFJROTC. Presentations included the Marietta High School senior football players, cheerleaders, and band members, as well as the 2026 APWA Awards. The meeting addressed multiple rezoning applications, including a controversial data infrastructure facility, and concluded with unscheduled public comments. Key votes included a 5-2 approval of a rezoning for a data center and several unanimous approvals.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes from special meetings on July 6, 2026, July 28, 2026, and regular meeting on July 8, 2026 were approved.
• Executive session minutes from multiple dates in 2024 and 2025 were approved.
• Appointments: Stephanie Meyer to the Board of Lights and Water (non-resident member, term expiring August 12, 2030) approved. Derek Greenacre to the Civil Service Board (term expiring December 31, 2029) was initially on consent but removed for separate vote; later approved 7-0.
• Denial of claims for Baldwin Ndogo, Scott A. Davis, and Requel Raines were approved.
• A motion to add a denial of claim for Diana Campbell to the consent agenda was approved.
• Other consent items: Tree fund alternative compliance ($400 per 2-inch caliper tree), Kirby Park playground rebalancing, HarvestFest additional street closures (Council Member Goldstein abstained due to property interests), Art in the Park light post banners, City Club Marietta contract renewal, Workers' Compensation and Fiduciary insurance renewal, adoption of Cobb County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, golf cart donation to MPD, Comcast utilities variance at 731 Sawyer Road, GTIB grant application, and easement acquisitions for the Whitlock Drive project (286 N Hillcrest, 289 N Hillcrest, 310 N Woodland, 351 N Woodland, 920 Burnt Hickory Rd).
• The Georgia Rehoused Program (Emmanuel’s Village) MOU was added to consent as amended. Council Member Gaddis recused himself (employer is GA DCA).
• Convention center funding allocation was sent to the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Committee with added wording.
• MEAG annual subscription for supplemental power 2027 was added to consent.
• Settlement agreements for BJF Jr., LLC ($84,000 additional, total $125,000) and BJ Frye, LLC ($289,800 additional, total $325,000) were approved; Council Member Gaddis voted against both.
• BLW actions of August 10, 2026 were approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Scheduled Appearances (4 speakers):
  • Lindsey Koch (homeowner in Ward 3, business owner in Ward 4): Expressed full support for transparency regarding data centers. Detailed her research and raised concerns about noise studies, cooling systems, and enforcement. Requested a true commitment to transparency and noted communication gaps.
  • Donald Barth (civil service board member): Commended first responders, criticized enforcement of policies, called for a review of the planning commission (citing a member sleeping during a meeting), and questioned the rush to fill a Civil Service Board vacancy.
  • Amanda Constantinides: Proposed numerous community improvements including a streetcar line, parks, food access, childcare, environmental oversight, and sliding-scale utility rates for low-income residents. Called for a moratorium on new gas stations.
• Public Comments on Prime Storage Rezoning (Z2026-12): 15 minutes for speakers in favor and 15 minutes for speakers in opposition (3-minute limit each).
  • In Favor (5 speakers): John Porter (resident), Stuart Wall (local business owner), Dana Johnson (Cobb Chamber of Commerce), William McNutt (technical background), David Crayley (director at QCells, consultant to Prime). Speakers emphasized tax revenue, jobs, medical benefits, and local infrastructure needs.
  • In Opposition (5 speakers): State Rep. Mary Francis Williams (concerns about noise, cooling system chemicals, tax incentives), Gavin Bedell (economics major, concerned about AI job loss and devaluation of homes), Grace Bloomberg (accused council of ignoring 300+ residents from prior meetings), Lewis Smith (lifelong Cobb County resident, organizer with PSL, called for total ban on data centers), and an additional speaker who lived nearby (interrupted but spoke briefly).
• Unscheduled Appearances (various speakers after main agenda):
  • A council member (unidentified) spoke about the need for better communication with residents.
  • Selena Reardon thanked council for their vote and asked for more fact dissemination to reduce fear.
  • DeAndre McNeil criticized the council for not listening to constituents and lacking due diligence.
  • A speaker denounced the unanimous approval of the Civil Service Board appointment as lacking diversity (all white males).
  • A speaker born in 2007 stated he had never heard of any council member and called for greater engagement.
  • John Cole (resident, family history in Marietta) thanked council for their work and expressed cautious optimism about the data center with stipulations.

Discussion Items

• Civil Service Board Appointment: Removed from consent by City Manager. Motion to appoint Derek Greenacre passed 7-0 with minimal discussion.
• Z2026-12: Prime Storage Powers Ferry Place (Data Infrastructure Facility):
  • The item was tabled on July 8, 2026; a motion to remove it from the table passed 7-0.
  • Public comments were heard (as above).
  • Council discussion focused on noise, cooling systems, heat islands, emissions, and enforcement. The applicant (Prime Group owner) and engineers answered questions, offering commitments to continuous sound monitoring, independent acoustic studies, use of biodiesel, compliance with noise ordinances even in emergencies, and a condition that no other sites in Marietta would be developed by Prime for this use.
  • Council Member Richardson made a comprehensive motion to approve with additional stipulations (see Key Outcomes).
• Z2026-16: Dawn Rosendahl (407 Atlanta Street):
  • Applicant requested rezoning from OI to OI with additional use as single-family residence. Planning Commission recommended OIT (Office Institutional Transitional) with additional use.
  • Motion to amend to OIT and approve passed 7-0.
• Z2026-18: Copperleaf Partners (373 & 385 Lawrence Street):
  • Request for increased density from R-4 (4 units/acre) to 8.6 units/acre (prior to right-of-way donation) using Residential Infill Overlay standards.
  • Council discussed stormwater mitigation (pervious pavers, directing water to city system), right-of-way donation for sidewalks (10 feet along Lawrence Street, with flexibility on other streets), and setbacks. Motion to approve with conditions passed 7-0.
• Z2026-19: White Hawk Business Park (1541 Owenby Dr & 532 Dickson Rd):
  • Rezoning from CRC and R-20 to LI (Light Industrial) with two variances to reduce residential buffers (50 ft to 20 ft on Dickson, 50 ft to 0 ft on Owenby).
  • Applicant explained need for detention pond and truck turning. Council discussion included removal of storage trailers within 90 days and limiting the zero-buffer variance to detention pond use only. Motion to approve passed 7-0.
• Annexation (A2026-03) and Code Amendment (CA2026-05): Both for White Hawk Business Park property; passed 7-0 each.
• Mayor's Opening Remarks: Prior to scheduled appearances, Mayor Tumlin delivered a lengthy statement rejecting the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), defending data center development with guardrails, and criticizing what he called mob rule and lack of decorum.

Key Outcomes

• Z2026-12 (Prime Storage Data Center): Approved 5-2. Motion by Council Member Richardson included extensive stipulations: adaptive reuse limited to the largest building; no use of municipal water or wastewater for cooling; leak detection with automatic shutoff; continuous sound monitoring; noise compliance even during emergencies; independent acoustic study within 3 months; emissions monitoring (continuous parameter monitoring system); generators limited to 153 hours per year (synthetic minor source); use of biodiesel; no other sites in Marietta by Prime for this use; site-specific zoning; and a final CO report to council after verification. A heat island study was added via amendment (passed 6-1). The applicant agreed to all stipulations.
• Z2026-16 (Rosendahl): Approved 7-0 to OIT with additional single-family residence use.
• Z2026-18 (Copperleaf): Approved 7-0 with conditions including stormwater mitigation (pervious pavers, conveyance to city system) and right-of-way donation along Lawrence Street for sidewalks.
• Z2026-19 (White Hawk): Approved 7-0 with conditions to remove trailers within 90 days and limit zero-buffer variance to detention pond use.
• Annexation and Code Amendment (White Hawk): Approved 7-0 each.
• Civil Service Board Appointment: Approved 7-0 (Derek Greenacre).