Old Mohawk property near East Dublin promoted as potential data center site

The former Mohawk carpet plant is being promoted as a possible site for a data center, both in a federal grant application and by the property’s owner. 

However, elected officials say there has been no governmental effort to bring a data center here.

The old Mohawk property is listed on an application by the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission seeking funds through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield Assessment Grant program. The commission is a 17-county bloc that allows city and county governments to jointly pursue economic development and regional planning initiatives, as well as funding for projects that benefit the area. 

If approved, the $1.5 million grant will be used to fund EPD brownfield assessments, which test properties for potential environmental hazards, such as lead paint or asbestos in abandoned buildings, or gas and chemicals leaks on properties with old storage tanks. Such tests are required before a property can be redeveloped and, if done ahead of time, can save time for potential investors wary of costly cleanups. 

“It’s so the owners know what’s going and the potential buyers know what’s going on a property,” said Mitch Griggs, president of the Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority. “It also positions a property for EPA grants for cleaning and remediation.” 

The application lists properties from across the region with the potential for future redevelopment that would require such testing to prove the area has need for the grant. Just because a property is listed on the grant application, Griggs said, does not mean a redevelopment project has been proposed or that a brownfield assessment will even be performed on the site.  

The Mohawk property, currently owned by a Pakistani textile executive, has lain dormant for some time. It is listed for sale, and has been marketed a prime location for a new large-scale employer or a data center. However, no buyer has emerged for the property so far.

The property includes 1,260 acres and an almost 1 million-square-foot existing building. It sits just outside East Dublin’s city limits off Nathaniel Drive, once a bustling freeway before the local textile industry crashed.

No organized effort to recruit data center here, local officials say

The county has not been actively seeking to bring a data center to the Mohawk site, although County Administrator Bryan Rogers conceded, “It would be a perfect place for one.”

There would be benefits. Taxes paid by the data center would virtually eliminate property taxes for the county, Rogers said. Also, many data centers now utilize cooling systems using anti-freeze-type liquids, which would reduce the need to tap into local water supply. he said.

However, Mohawk is located near the Oconee River, and Rogers noted the grant application touts the site’s access to an abundant water supply.

“The site’s greatest asset lies in its approximately 1,200 acres of flat land, substantial electrical capacity and access to millions of gallons of water for cooling,” the application states. “These characteristics make the property particularly well-suited for development as a large-scale data center supporting the growing demands of the artificial intelligence economy, offering a significant fiscal benefit to East Dublin without requiring the extensive population growth or public infrastructure expansion typically associated with major employment centers.”

Should East Dublin annex the property, the city could collect substantial annual franchise fees from Georgia Power Co. 

East Dublin Mayor George Gornto said he was unaware of the Regional Commission’s application until Friday and that the city has not been recruiting a data center.

The grant application also seeks Brownfield Assessment funding for another local site, on Madison Street in Dublin.

The area, described as “Tract 2 City Block 20” on Madison Street, east of the Laurens County Courthouse, would be “redeveloped to celebrate Dublin’s historic character and strengthen the downtown district.”

“Positioned as a key link between the revitalized downtown and the river, the Madison 2-20 property will be adaptively reused for cultural and community-oriented purposes, including an art gallery or museum highlighting the area’s history,” the application states. “This redevelopment will remove blight, enhance the corridor’s aesthetic and cultural appeal and serve as a catalyst for extending a future riverwalk, creating a seamless, engaging connection between downtown residents, visitors, and the riverfront while supporting long-term economic and community revitalization.”