Questions surrounding a recent property purchase in Rossville have prompted Walker County and the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority to provide additional details about a technology company relocating to the city.
BridgTRK, a Chattanooga-based technology and logistics company, recently purchased four acres on Bulldog Drive behind Peerless Mill in Rossville. The acquisition has fueled speculation on social media that the company intends to build a large data center.
County officials say that is not the case, and they also emphasized that the sale is not affected by Walker County’s recently adopted data center moratorium. The temporary moratorium applies only to unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated cities, including Rossville, control their own zoning and development decisions.
According to the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, BridgTRK plans to develop what it describes as a “compact access node” that will connect customers to EPB’s quantum computing resources in Chattanooga.
The authority said the facility differs significantly from the large-scale data centers that have generated concern in communities across the country. Officials said the project will not require water for cooling and will operate using standard electrical service, placing minimal demand on local infrastructure.
Matt Harris, president and CEO of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, said the organization is committed to supporting economic development while preserving the community’s character.
BridgTRK co-founders also sought to address concerns about the project, explaining that the company develops connected hardware devices that collect and securely transmit customer data through cellular networks.
Company officials said the Rossville site will include two 40-foot shipping containers connected by a canopy. One container will house the company’s data core and quantum node in a climate-controlled environment, while the second will be used for equipment storage.
The company is relocating its operations from Madison, Wisconsin, to Rossville after closing on the property July 13.
BridgTRK officials stressed that the facility should not be confused with the massive hyperscale data centers operated by companies such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft.
They said the four-acre site is far too small to accommodate that type of development and noted that the facility’s data processing needs are relatively modest. Company leaders also emphasized that they are moving away from a traditional data center model to improve the security of customer data.
The Joint Development Authority said additional information about construction timelines will be released as the project moves forward. Meanwhile, Walker County officials continue to evaluate whether to extend the county’s temporary moratorium on new data center development in unincorporated areas.