BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Dozens of Birmingham residents rallied against a proposed AI factory off Lakeshore Parkway Saturday, gathering to protest a project they say threatens their quality of life.
Neighbors from Oxmoor Valley, Grasselli Heights, and Ross Bridge lined the road with signs, voicing opposition to the development planned for their area.
“I mean, it’s going to affect our lives. It really is. They don’t say it’s going to be, but you know, dealing with the noise, the sounds,” said John Hilley, a neighbor.
Dozens of Birmingham residents rallied against a proposed AI factory off Lakeshore Parkway, gathering to protest a project they say threatens their quality of life.(WBRC)
Nebius, a Netherlands-based tech company, owns 80 acres off Lakeshore Parkway where it hopes to build an AI factory. The project is working through the approval process.
Joey Amberson, president of the Oxmoor Glen Board of Directors Subdivision, said residents are concerned about environmental impacts associated with data centers in other parts of the country.
Construction begins on the site of the Nebius data center in Independence on March 25, 2026.(KCTV5/Chandler Watkins)
Hilley and his wife moved to the area in November 2024, expecting it to be their permanent home.
“We moved here a couple of years ago, back in November of ’24, and, this was going to be our forever home. You know, we thought we was going to be, this is going to be our peaceful life. We love the area. It’s real peaceful at night,” Hilley said.
He said five houses on his street alone are for sale.
“We just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Hilley said.
Amberson said the opposition is not about rejecting progress.
“We are in no way against progress. Progress makes the city move forward, obviously, but we are against this type of factory, this business locating here in a residential area,” Amberson said.
Nebius, a Netherlands-based tech company, owns about 80 acres off Lakeshore Parkway. They ae hoping to build a two-building AI factory in a former bank-back office building.(WBRC)
Company leaders say the project could generate around $80 million annually. At previous city council meetings and public hearings, Nebius said it wants to be good neighbors and listen to residents’ concerns.
On its website, the company promises noise-reduction technology, minimal water use, and says residents will see no impact to their electric bills.
Amberson said those promises are not enough.
“We’re being told that none of that’s going to be affected, but I think we know otherwise based on previous data centers that are located across the country,” Amberson said.
Hilley said the fight extends beyond his own neighborhood.
“We’re just a small community trying to get where we can save our communities and if not our communities, maybe help somebody else,” Hilley said.
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