Microsoft has announced its plans to make Atlanta one of its largest hubs with a Westside campus and data centers in both south Fulton and Douglas counties.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a Feb. 11 news conference with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Gov. Brian Kemp that the tech company was making a longterm commitment to Atlanta, including the 90-acre campus at Quarry Yards in the Grove Park neighborhood.
Smith said before the campus is built, Microsoft plans to engage the community about its wants and needs. He pledged that 25 percent of the 90 acres would be given to Grove Park for affordable housing, supermarkets, skill centers, or whatever the community needs to help it grow. Smith also said the goal was to make the campus one of the most sustainable in the world, including zero waste.
Microsoft purchased the Quarry Yards site, which was originally envisioned as an Atlanta BeltLine-adjacent development of offices, retail, and homes. The property sits near the future Westside Park, which will become the city’s largest and include a new reservoir at the former Bellwood Quarry site.
The campus and data centers, one of which will be located near East Point and the other in Douglas County, will bring thousands of construction and full-time jobs to the region.
Bottoms said she was “inspired by Microsoft’s commitment to the community” and her discussions with the company were revolving around making sure the “Westside isn’t left behind.”
Microsoft is currently completing buildout of a new artificial intelligence and cloud computing center at the Atlantic Yards building at Atlantic Station in Midtown.
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