Updated January 21, 2026:

Project Marvel data center in Bessemer, Alabama, could potentially double in size if local officials approve rezoning requests. The campus seeks to add an extra 900-acre in its development plans. Bessemer City Councilor Cleo King noted that developer Logistic Land Investment (L.L.I) would be filing a rezoning request. However, despite knowing it involves expansion on Project Marvel, details of the request remain hazy.

The development plan for Project Marvel was first approved by the Bessemer City Council last November. According to this plan, the campus would span 700 acres across 18 buildings with 1.2GW of capacity once built. At the time, it was estimated that Project Marvel would take around seven years to build. Despite the expansion, there is no clear outline of what the developer aims to do with the extra land. Furthermore, it is unclear how the expansion would alter the existing plan.

Challenges Facing Project Marvel Data Center in Alabama

Despite the progress made, there is a major setback facing the Project Marvel data center in Alabama, opposition. The data center has been met with fierce opposition since it was introduced and locals are against the project. Public Facebook group ‘Bessemer Data Center-We say NO’ has been vocal about its opposition to the proposed project. The concerns about Project Marvel expressed by members of the group are similar to those of other communities across the U.S. opposing data centers.

These include potential environmental impact and the possibility of rising utility bills such as electricity. The outlined issues have become commonplace across the U.S. Some highlight the data center boom pushes into communities that have little to no insight with such projects.

Located just outside of Birmingham, which is one of Alabama’s main data center hubs, Bessemer is a city in Jefferson County. If rezoning is approved, the completion timeline is expected to shift, however this is also unclear. The developer, Logistic Land Investment LLC, is owned by Atlanta-based TPA Group. It is the same company that same company previously filed to build a data center in Venus, Texas, in July 2024. Other than opposition, data centers are facing cancellations or major delays which act as a challenge in their implementation.

Project Factsheet

Project Name

• Project Marvel data center

Type

• Hyperscale data center campus.

Location

• Bessemer, Jefferson County, Alabama, the US.
• The site is close to a large data center facility in Alabama, which is home to the city of Birmingham.

Estimated Project Value

• $14 billion

Developer

• Logistic Land Investment LLC.
• (Atlanta based TPA Group is the owner)

Project Status

• Approved (initial phase)
• Development awaiting rezoning.

Planning Authority

• Bessemer City Council

Approved Development Plan (Current)

• Campus size: 700 acres
• Facilities: 18 data center facilities.
• Proposed IT capacity: 1.2GW (when fully built out)
• Approximate time of construction: 7 years.

Proposed Expansion

• The additional land requested: 900 acres.
• Potential campus size: The possible size of the university is about 1,600 acres (pending approval).

Planning mechanism: Application to rezone to be made.

• Expansion information: Not yet revealed.
• Effects on capacity and design: Indeterminate.
• Effect on schedule of construction: Indeterminate.

Key Stakeholders

• Curtis: Logistic Land Investment LLC.
• Local government: City Council of Bessemer.

Community/Regulatory Concerns.

• The project has been met with a lot of opposition at the local level since its start.

The major issues important to the community are:

• Possible environmental implications.
• The likelihood of a rise in electricity and utility expenses.

Key Uncertainties

• Planned use of the extra 900 acres.
• Whether the overall IT capacity could rise further than 1.2GW.
• Adjusted project schedules and project completion.
• Result of the process of rezoning.

The Bessemer City Council voted 5–2 in a landmark decision on November 18, 2025, to rezone almost 700 acres for the massive data-center campus known as Project Marvel. The highly ambitious development represents one of the biggest private infrastructure investments that the city has ever seen.

The development, under the lead of Logistics Land Investment, LLC (affiliated with TPA Group), has designed 18 sprawling buildings across former farmland off Rock Mountain Lake Road. At full build-out, the campus could support up to 1.2 gigawatts of IT capacity, making it one of the most power-intensive data-center sites in the Southeastern United States, joining the list of mega data centers projects in the country.

Economic Impact

Project Marvel is not only a technical enterprise but also a significant economic play, with a projected capital expenditure of about $14.5 billion. Development assures about 1,000 construction jobs during its multi-year build stage and approximately 330 permanent high-paying roles once in operation.

Economic impact studies cited by city leaders estimate more than $4 billion in regional benefit over the next three decades, driven by job creation, ancillary business activity, and long-term tax revenue.

One of the biggest beneficiaries could be Bessemer City Schools, which may see close to $800 million in revenue over 30 years under preliminary tax-impact models. While detailed incentive packages have not yet been made public, city officials have confirmed that negotiations with the developer are ongoing.

Local economic modeling also projects significant fiscal benefits: over a multi-decade time horizon, Bessemer’s school system and municipal budget stand to gain from increased tax revenues tied to the data center’s operations.

Yet, Project Marvel has also been at the center of heated public debate. Community groups, environmental organizations, and civil-rights advocates have complained about a perceived lack of transparency in the approval process. Critics argue that major planning documents pertaining to environmental impact, water usage, and power demand were not adequately made available to the public at rezoning hearings.

Energy demand

Energy demand has emerged as a central issue: the campus’s huge power draw raises questions about backup generation, emissions, and strain on local utilities. Water use is another concern; opponents say that huge daily consumption could tax local water infrastructure.

Further complicating the project, the Alabama Department of Transportation has identified conflicts between the proposed data-center layout and long-range plans for highway development in the region.

Proponents insist this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. They say the investment will solidify Bessemer’s place in the growing high-performance computing and cloud infrastructure economy, bringing jobs, ancillary business stimulation, and long-term tax contributions. Now that rezoning has been approved, detailed engineering, environmental permitting, and utility coordination are on the horizon.

As the development moves forward, it joins a broader trend of mega-scale data center campuses reshaping regional economies – and raising hard questions about how communities balance economic growth with environmental stewardship and social equity.

Bessemer Clears $14.5B Project Marvel Data Center — Factsheet

Total investment estimated at $14.5 billion

Located on approximately 700 acres in Bessemer, Alabama

Developer: Logistics Land Investment, LLC, affiliated with TPA Group

Rezoning approved by 5–2 council vote November 18, 2025

The plans include 18 hyperscale data-center buildings.

Designed for up to 1.2 GW computing capacity

Anticipated to create 1,000 construction jobs

Expected to create: 330 permanent jobs when operational

Primary concerns raised: environmental impacts, use of water, emissions, utility load, and transparency

Next steps: environmental permitting, engineering design, infrastructure alignment