Atlanta mayor pushes Microsoft to ‘develop’ Grove Park or give land back to city

ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in an interview with Bloomberg News on March 1, appeared to give Microsoft a soft ultimatum:

“We really want them to develop their property or offer it back to us so we can develop it,” Dickens told Bloomberg News. “Even if you don’t know what you want to do, just let us know what you know you won’t be able to do.”

The development property in question is a 90-acre tract of land in Westside Atlanta.

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As previously covered by Channel 2 Action News, when Microsoft first got the land for redevelopment in the Grove Park neighborhood, it was expected to bring in as many as 15,000 jobs, at least according to the announcement in 2021.

Then, in February 2023, Channel 2′s Michael Seiden reported the project had been placed on hold.

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The month before, the company laid off 10,000 employees.

In January 2024, the company laid off nearly 2,000 employees in their gaming division.

While development at the Grant Park site has stalled, Microsoft said it was moving forward with construction on a data center in the metro.

The company is planning to build three data centers, including one in South Fulton County in Palmetto, which Channel 2 Action News reported Tuesday.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Microsoft about the development at Grove Park and the comments by Dickens, but the company declined to provide a response.

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