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Two days after calling for a moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Jefferson County, County Commission President Jimmie Stephens said he asked that county leaders press the brakes.
“We’re trying to do this in a very orderly way,” the commission president said. “There are 1,000 places in Jefferson County where a data center would be appropriate. There’s 1,000 places where it would not be appropriate.”
Developmental Services Director Josh Johnson on Tuesday gave commissioners an update on his department’s efforts to craft an ordinance governing development of data centers, especially the hyperscale data centers that have produced heated discussions among residents in Birmingham and Bessemer and prompted several cities in Alabama to declare moratoriums on data centers.
Tuesday’s discussion expanded from data centers to heavy industry, which gave Stephens reason for pause.
“The heavy industry designation would have hindered us with our U.S. Steel development, so I have asked for a separate category and they’re looking at that,” he said. “There are no data centers in the works at this time and Jefferson County Commission is going to be very responsible about where, if any occur in the future, where they will be placed.”
As Thursday’s commission meeting concluded, Stephens recognized the work of Economic Development Advisor Jeff Traywick and Commissioner Mike Bolin for their roles in securing the $475 million quenching and threading plant at U.S. Steel, which was approved Wednesday by U.S. Steel’s board of directors.
“These are things that mean a great deal to Jefferson County and improve our quality of life,” Stephens said. “That’s on top of the $75 million that they did on the threading plant, and this will be adjacent to that. We’ll continue to add new jobs and there is another one in the works that we’re going to work on.
“I’m telling you that Jefferson County is open for business,” he said. “We will continue to aggressively seek economic development and opportunities for our citizens.”
The county in February approved incentives to boost redevelopment at Fairfield Works, agreeing then to the abatement of non-education sales and use taxes during construction of a $70 million seamless tubular threading facility and a 10-year abatement of non-education property taxes.
Commissioners Support Preservation of Hale Springs and ‘Crest to Creek’ Corridor
During Thursday’s meeting, commissioners approved 68 resolutions, including one supporting the preservation of the Hale Springs property and the exploration of a “Crest to Creek” Conservation Corridor. Larry Rodick, president of the Friends of Shades Mountain, said that support is essential in establishing the preserve.
“This is the third municipality that we’ve gotten a supporting resolution from. The first two were Hoover and Birmingham,” Rodick said. “We’re trying to get Forever Wild to buy the property and they have to have municipal input. They want to make sure that municipalities that are around that property buy into it. In other words, support it.
“The property, Hale Springs, is actually in Birmingham, but we’re going to be linking up with the county land below that,” he explained. “That’s why we have to have the county. Hoover is right along Shades Cress Road at the top of it. That’s why all of them are important.”
