Jones County panel recommends zoning text to allow data centers, adds environmental study requirement

Jones County Planning and Zoning Commission members voted at their meeting to recommend that the Board of Commissioners begin a text amendment to the county's Comprehensive Land Development Resolution to allow data centers as a conditional use in the C‑1 district and to require an environmental assessment as part of any application.

The measure would create standards for sites 400 acres or larger and incorporate staff's recommended language, including buffers, noise limits and planting requirements; the commission asked staff to add a specific environmental assessment requirement before the proposal goes to the commissioners for final action.

Commissioners said the county currently has no guidance for data centers and that adopting baseline standards would give the county criteria to review future proposals. "If we don't have anything at all, they have no reason to think it can't happen," a commissioner said during…