Coweta’s planning commission voted 4-1 Monday night to deny a rezoning request for Project Atlas, a controversial 270-acre data center proposed in the small town less than 30 miles southeast of Tulsa.
The Coweta vote is a rare defeat for hyperscale data centers in Oklahoma — though a vote from city councilors, set for Feb. 2, could ultimately result in an approval.
Coweta officials spent nearly 40 minutes questioning representatives from Beale Infrastructure, the developer behind several data center projects in the Tulsa area. Their queries surrounded water usage, the amount of money generated from the center and land usage resources as a result of the hyperscale facility being built.
Residents gathered earlier this month to criticize elected officials’ willingness to move forward with the proposed data center plan. City officials were approached by Beale in 2024 and the company later purchased over 250 acres with the center in mind.
“The general consensus of residents is that Beale has been non-committal and less than transparent. Do you feel that Beale has been transparent with you?” Coweta resident Julianne Davis asked city officials during public comment Monday.
“You have the right to vote this down,” she closed her statement, drawing cheers from audience members.
Beale Infrastructure told commission members it is planning to invest $500,000 into a water plant master study for Coweta. The developer would also spend at least $3 million for any possible upgrades to the city’s water system. City revenue would be generated by Project Atlas through franchise fees. The city and local schools stand to take in at least $1 to $2 million from these agreements.
Beale expects to complete the project over four years through two different phases. Construction would begin by the end of 2026.
“Hopefully we can get through the public approval process through June. This is not the only process,” said Lauren Harvey, Beale’s development director.
Eric Lemley, a member of Iron Workers Local #584 in Tulsa, spoke in favor of Beale Infrastructure’s plan and believes Coweta should not pass up the opportunity for a new data center.
“This opportunity for Coweta is a very big one,” Lemley said. “I know everyone is making this a Coweta thing, but it is an everywhere thing. If Coweta passes this up then I really feel sorry for them.”
Kari Eddy, a Coweta resident and Union Public Schools teacher, said the benefits of the data center are additional funding going toward schools as well as new jobs for people building the data center and individuals working in the center after it is built.
During her comments, Eddy was met with small jeers from non-supporters in the crowd.
“Children love technology. Technology is going to keep growing and if they say the data centers are going to become outdated then they will just update those data centers and technology needs more data centers,” Eddy said in an interview with the Flyer Monday night.
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