QUICK SUMMARY
Brookwood held a packed town hall this week over at least three data center projects proposed along the town’s industrial corridor east of Tuscaloosa. Residents raised concerns about noise, water, Hurricane Creek, power bills, and a site across from Brookwood Middle School, while Mayor Joe Barger argued the projects could make Brookwood “the first home of real tech investment” in West Alabama, bringing 2,000 to 3,000 construction jobs and about 100 permanent jobs per hyperscale campus. The city council votes on a key rezoning on September 15, and a new state law regulating hyperscale data centers takes effect October 1. Here is what it all could mean for east Tuscaloosa County homeowners.
The biggest land-use story in Tuscaloosa County right now is not on campus or downtown. It is in Brookwood, a town of coal-mining roots about 15 miles east of Tuscaloosa, where three separate companies have tied up hundreds of acres for possible data center campuses. We covered the third project when it surfaced in August. This week, the debate came to a head at a standing-room town hall.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2026 UPDATE
The Brookwood City Council vote is set for Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 4:30 p.m., covering the annexation and rezoning of roughly 374 acres to light industrial. The Brookwood Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the rezoning at its August 11 meeting, but that vote was a recommendation only. The council vote is the decisive one.
Since this article was first published, a WBRC public records request to the City of Brookwood has put more of the paper trail on the record. According to WBRC, the city produced planning and zoning records from two meetings, one in 2025 and one in 2026. The 2025 filing lists Evolve Energy Partners, LLC with a New Orleans address as the applicant, the project name “Project Evolve,” a proposed use of “Industrial Development,” and land west of Brookwood Parkway. The 2026 rezoning request lists EEP Tuscaloosa, LLC with a Dallas address as petitioner and Alawest, AL, LLC as the property owner, with proposed construction listed as “To Be Determined.” The city also sent letters in May 2026 to parties involved regarding rezoning of adjoining property.
Brookwood officials told WBRC they hold no filings that specifically name Applied Digital, but provided “filings for the property that are now being considered for development by a subsidiary of that entity.” A separate ADEM permit application reported by WBRC in August points to Applied Digital Corporation, a Dallas-based company, and a 2-million-square-foot data center on Brookwood Industrial Parkway near Brookwood Middle School. The company has said no final decision has been made.
On the non-disclosure agreement question, the city responded that the only NDA signed by a city official in connection with the project would be through the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority and is not in the City of Brookwood’s possession. Mayor Joe Barger, who confirmed at a recent council meeting that the proposal is an AI data center while noting there is no signed project yet, defended the agreement as standard practice meant to protect trade secrets.
What this means if you own or are shopping property in east Tuscaloosa County: the zoning record is public and you are entitled to it. If a home you are considering sits near Brookwood Industrial Parkway or the parcels west of Brookwood Parkway, request the planning and zoning packet from the city before you write an offer, and read the actual petition rather than the rumor. As of this update the end user is still not named in the city’s own filings, so anyone telling you exactly what will be built there, or exactly what it will do to values, is going beyond the record.
SEPTEMBER 2026: APPLIED DIGITAL CONFIRMED
Applied Digital has now confirmed its $3.2 billion Delta Forge 2 campus in Brookwood, and county incentives were approved unanimously in September 2026. See what the Brookwood data center means for nearby housing.
What projects are actually on the table?
1. Applied Digital. A Texas company that already holds a state environmental permit and is seeking to build a 2,000,000-square-foot data center.
2. Youngwoo & Associates (Project Brookwood LLC). Seeking to annex and rezone hundreds of acres across from Brookwood Middle School for a data center campus. The rezoning vote is set for September 15.
3. Provident Data Centers. Owns about 500 acres north of I-20 and west of Brookwood Parkway.
Mayor Joe Barger stressed there is “no deal at this time” with any of the three, and the city’s leverage kicks in only when a developer asks to annex, rezone, or permit. Full coverage of the town hall is at the Tuscaloosa Thread.
What are residents worried about?
The most common concern was Brookwood Middle School, which sits directly across Brookwood Parkway from the land Youngwoo is acquiring. Speakers – including a longtime real estate agent – asked the council to protect the school from construction dust, noise, and possible effects on nearby property values. Others focused on water: Hurricane Creek drains a 120-square-mile watershed into the Black Warrior River, and residents pressed for guarantees the creek and local springs stay protected. Some worried about power bills; the city says an Alabama Power rate freeze, a new state law, and an industry pledge protect residential rates. On noise, the mayor said the AI-style data centers being discussed run at roughly 40 to 42 decibels behind thick block walls – much quieter than open-air blockchain operations, which he said are not planned for Tuscaloosa County.
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What is the case for the projects?
Mayor Barger said he researched the concerns himself, spoke with mayors in communities that already host data centers, and came away convinced most issues can be managed with “facts, experience, accountability, and appropriate safeguards.” He estimates a hyperscale project would mean 2,000 to 3,000 construction jobs and about 100 permanent jobs once open, plus new tax base for a town looking for its next chapter after generations of coal. His framing: “If we are not growing, we are dying.”
What happens next – and what does the new state law do?
Two dates matter. On September 15, the Brookwood City Council is scheduled to vote on rezoning the Youngwoo land. And on October 1, Alabama’s new hyperscale data center law (Senate Bill 270, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this year) takes effect, setting statewide rules for these massive, energy-hungry facilities. For homeowners in Brookwood, Vance, Coaling, and east Tuscaloosa County, the practical takeaway is simple: big industrial investment tends to bring jobs, traffic, and housing demand – the same pattern the area saw with Mercedes-Benz in Vance. Whether these particular projects move forward, and with what safeguards, is now in the council’s hands.
Brookwood data center FAQ
How many data centers are proposed near Brookwood, Alabama?
At least three separate projects are tied to land in or near Brookwood: Applied Digital, Youngwoo & Associates (Project Brookwood LLC), and Provident Data Centers. No contracts had been signed with any of them as of the September 2026 town hall.
Will data centers raise power bills in Tuscaloosa County?
City officials say residential rates are protected by an Alabama Power rate freeze, a new state law, and an industry pledge. Some residents remain skeptical and have asked leaders to push for rate relief like other data center communities have received.
Do data centers affect nearby home values?
It depends on the project and the buffers around it. Large employers and infrastructure investment generally support housing demand in a county, but homes immediately next to industrial sites can face noise and traffic concerns during construction. Site plans, setbacks, and sound walls matter – which is why the rezoning details are worth watching.
When does Alabama’s data center law take effect?
Senate Bill 270, which sets rules for hyperscale data centers in Alabama, takes effect October 1, 2026.
ACROSS THE COUNTY LINE
Brookwood is not the only West-central Alabama community weighing a data center campus. In Jefferson County, QTS is pursuing a roughly 1,600-acre campus on the Project Marvel site in Bessemer. For the buyer and seller angle there, see how the Bessemer data center campus could affect McCalla-area housing.
Sources
WBRC, WBRC requests records connected to proposed data center development in Brookwood
WBRC, Brookwood mayor confirms proposed project is an AI data center
WBRC, Brookwood Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezoning request of more than 370 acres
WBRC, ADEM-approved permit for a hyperscale data center in Brookwood
Last updated: September 2026. This is an active rezoning matter. Confirm meeting dates and agenda items with the City of Brookwood before relying on them.
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