Georgia Mom Fears Losing Family Home As AI Data Center Boom Triggers Eminent Domain Battle

A Georgia mother says the peaceful family property she worked for years to build could soon be torn apart as power companies race to expand infrastructure for America’s exploding AI data center boom.

Rachael Maszk, a mother living in Fayette County southwest of Atlanta, says she was devastated after learning Georgia Power wants to take a large portion of her land to build massive new transmission lines tied to growing electricity demand from nearby data centers.

The family moved from a Buckhead apartment several years ago searching for space, privacy, and a quieter life where they could raise children, grow food, and keep chickens on their two-acre property. But that dream was shaken when the couple received a letter informing them their land could be affected by a major transmission project.

According to Maszk, the utility company later revealed plans to acquire roughly one-third of their property through an easement that would clear part of the wooded backyard they fell in love with when buying the home. If approved, the area could eventually be replaced by towering high-voltage power lines and transmission structures.

“It’s stressful,” Maszk reportedly said while describing weeks of negotiations, counteroffers, and growing uncertainty surrounding her family’s future.

The controversy comes as Georgia rapidly transforms into one of America’s largest AI and data center hubs. Massive server farms linked to companies like Microsoft and QTS are flooding into communities south of Atlanta, creating an unprecedented demand for electricity and new power infrastructure.

Georgia Power says the transmission expansion is necessary to support long-term growth and improve grid reliability for homes, businesses, manufacturers, and data centers alike. The company insists eminent domain is used only as a “last resort” and says most agreements with property owners are resolved voluntarily.

But many homeowners fear they are being forced into impossible situations as utility companies gain the legal authority to seize portions of private land for projects tied to AI expansion.

The issue exploded online after videos from affected Georgia residents began going viral across TikTok, Instagram, and X, drawing millions of views and sparking outrage from both conservative and liberal commentators.

One viral clip featured a young woman claiming her family’s property was being “forcibly taken” to support transmission lines connected to nearby data center projects. The video quickly became a lightning rod in the national debate over AI infrastructure and private property rights.

Georgia Republican state senator Greg Dolezal publicly criticized the situation, calling the use of eminent domain for data center expansion “absurd.”

At the center of the growing controversy are several enormous proposed developments, including QTS data center campuses and “Project Sail,” a sprawling project planned near Georgia Power’s Plant Yates facility. Some developments could eventually cover millions of square feet — larger than multiple shopping malls combined.

Meanwhile, residents say they are left fighting for homes they fear may never feel safe or peaceful again.

Maszk says she and her husband are now pushing for Georgia Power to buy the entire property rather than leave them living beside industrial transmission towers.

“I don’t think it’s right,” she said. “If no one does anything, then nothing changes.”