Is a Data Center Coming to Northport? What Homeowners Should Know

Last updated: September 2026

Data centers have become the most-asked-about land use in Tuscaloosa County this year, and homeowners in Northport are asking whether one could end up near them. The Williams Group at Keller Williams Realty has followed the Brookwood data center votes closely since 2025, so here is what Northport has actually decided, what it has not, and how to check the land around a home before you buy.

Is a data center coming to Northport?

Not according to the city. At the council work session on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, City Administrator Tera Tubbs said nobody has reached out to Northport about building a data center, and Mayor Dale Phillips said there is no data center coming and nothing in the works, as reported by ABC 33/40. An earlier Alabama Gazette report on Sept. 10 said the same thing: city officials were discussing rules, but no developer had brought Northport a proposal.

That matters for buyers and sellers because rumors travel faster than zoning packets. If you hear that a specific tract off Highway 69 or Highway 43 is a data center site, the question to ask is simple: has anything been filed with the city? As of this update, nothing has.

Why did Northport reject a data center moratorium?

A moratorium pauses applications for a set period. Northport leaders chose a different route: write the rules first. Because the current zoning ordinance does not list data centers at all, the council asked staff to come back with recommendations on which zoning districts could allow them, what restrictions should apply and what conditions a project would need to meet. Some cities have gone the moratorium route this year. Northport is betting that clear rules on paper give residents more protection than a temporary pause.

Here is the path any new data center rule would follow, per the city: staff recommendations at a future work session, council discussion, a review by the Northport Planning and Zoning Commission, then a final council vote. The commission meets the second Tuesday of each month, with a 5:30 p.m. pre-meeting and a 6 p.m. regular meeting, so residents will have more than one chance to weigh in.

What is happening with data centers elsewhere in Tuscaloosa County?

The real activity is on the east side of the county. On Sept. 15, 2026, the Brookwood City Council voted 5-0 to annex and rezone the final parcel for a planned 374-acre data center campus, and two other developers have land annexed and zoned in Brookwood without projects presented yet. We track every step in our posts on the Brookwood rezoning vote, the Brookwood town hall and records request and the original Brookwood data center announcement. In the Birmingham metro, Project Marvel in Bessemer is the largest proposal.

How can Northport buyers check what could be built near a home?

Alabama is largely a buyer-beware state, and sellers are generally not required to tell you what might be built on the land next door. That makes your own homework important. Here is the checklist we use with clients.

Also at Northport City Hall this week

The same council that is writing data center rules is also working on a new City Hall. On Sept. 21, the council approved a $711,218 architecture contract with Ward Scott Morris Architecture on a 3-1 vote, but a nearly $500,000 engineering contract with Duncan Coker Associates failed 2-1 because two members abstained and three yes votes were needed, according to the Tuscaloosa Thread. The proposed site is near Bridge Avenue, 10th Street and Lurleen Wallace Boulevard by the Black Warrior River. Separate fire station design contracts passed.

The Local TWG Perspective

Northport carries a lower total property tax millage than the City of Tuscaloosa and sits minutes from downtown Tuscaloosa across the Black Warrior River, and those two facts drive a lot of buyer interest. We compare the two cities side by side in Northport vs. Tuscaloosa for buyers and break down property tax rates in both cities. Large land uses such as data centers are exactly the kind of change that can shift how a neighborhood feels, which is why a zoning rule written before any proposal arrives is useful information for homeowners. We will update this page when staff recommendations come back to the council. For more on the city itself, see our Complete Guide to Living in Northport.

Frequently asked questions

How The Williams Group can help: before you write an offer in Northport, we will pull the zoning around the property, flag open land nearby and point you to the right city office for anything we cannot confirm.

Sources

ABC 33/40: Northport leaders reject data center moratorium, consider new zoning approach (Sept. 22, 2026)

Alabama Gazette: Northport mayor holding a town hall on data centers (Sept. 10, 2026)

Tuscaloosa Thread: Northport City Hall plans hit snag (Sept. 23, 2026)

City of Northport: Planning and Zoning Commission