MADISON, Ga. — Longtime JDA Chairman Alan Verner left the organization when it became clear land his family owned would be part of a possible automotive plant, the authority’s lawyer said this week.
Verner and his relatives own land that has been purchased as part of Rivian Inc. coming to Georgia on a nearly 2,000-acre site that straddles the line between Walton County and his native Morgan County.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this week that the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties holds options to buy 675 acres owned by Verner and four siblings.
Verner was a member of the JDA from its founding in 1999 and served as the chairman starting in 2006. He resigned in August 2021, about the time Rivian was zeroing in on Georgia as a finalist for its electric vehicle plant.
But talks began early last year, with the JDA discussing possible options for nearby land. Verner abstained from those discussions.
“Given his decades of service to the JDA and deep passion for the community, he was willing to resign in advance of Rivian’s decision,” according to a prepared statement by authority attorney Andrea Gray.
Gray read the statement during the JDA meeting Tuesday morning in Madison.
According to Gray, Verner “was not involved in any decisions regarding the project (and) had no inside knowledge or influence on this situation.” She said the JDA followed state law which governs development authorities engaging in transactions with its members.
Gray said the JDA never marketed the East Atlanta Megasite where Rivian plans to build, but instead the Development Authority of Walton County marketed the site starting in 2018.
“The JDA created and began marketing Stanton Springs North, which is 665 acres in May 2021,” Gray said. “The 665 acres owned by the JDA does not abut property owned by Alan Verner.”
JDA bought that land last year to build a frontage road as part of an agreement with Baymare LLC (now Morning Hornet LLC), which said last year it would build a data center at the original Stanton Springs in a $42 billion deal.
“Rivian’s interest in the site was not the main reason the JDA purchased the 665 acres,” Gray said. “At that time, Georgia was only one of the many sites on Rivian’s list of potential choices. Without Rivian, the JDA would have constructed the frontage road and marketed it for industrial tenants.”
Gray also defended the JDA against the allegations by Rivian opponents that the authority acted unethically in pursuing the company. She called those accusations “completely without merit,” saying the JDA followed open meetings laws and other best practices.
“It is no secret that the JDA has been working to recruit industrial development in this area for 20 years,” Gray said. “Nondisclosure agreements (NDA) have no bearing on how the process was carried out.
“Land acquisition matters are discussed in executive session and matters discussed in executive discussion are confidential with or without an NDA.”
