I would have placed the research campus closer to Athens than placing it in Metro-Atlanta. Athens has got lots of college professors and graduate students who could be hired to work at the facility. Plus, the land just west of Athens is lower priced than is the land just East of Atlanta.
Dacula is closer to Athens than it is to Atlanta, but not by much. Perhaps they were trying to attract talent from both areas? Athens does have lots of people via UGA but Georgia Tech and Emory do also.