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Planning Commission backs zoning text amendments to regulate data centers in industrial districts
Summary
The commission recommended amendments to add definitions for data centers, digital data operations and cryptocurrency mining and to permit data centers in I-2 heavy industrial districts with additional buffering, screening and submittal requirements; commissioners asked staff to pursue a required noise study before final adoption.
The Johnson City Planning Commission voted to recommend zoning-text amendments that add data centers, digital data operations and cryptocurrency mining to the city zoning code and to permit data centers in the I-2 (heavy industrial) district subject to new conditions.
Staff said the goal is to allow data centers in appropriate industrial areas while limiting noise, vibration and other nuisance impacts on nearby residences. Bryce McNamer, planner with the Development Services Department, told commissioners that digital data operations “are contained within closed buildings” while exterior mechanical equipment such as cooling units would be allowed but must be screened and sited away from residences.
The proposed criteria would require a 200-foot separation from any residential use or district that permits single-family dwellings and a 60-foot front setback on arterial roads. Staff would require a Type 4 buffer (a 35-foot zone that includes a physical barrier) where an I-2 parcel directly adjoins residential zoning, and ground- or roof-mounted equipment would have to be screened to exceed the height of the equipment by at least six inches.
McNamer summarized other proposed changes: replace ambiguous wording about “objectionable” manufacturing processes with a cross-reference to the city noise chapter; give the Director of Development Services, city engineer or designee authority to require additional submittals including stormwater, traffic and sound-impact studies; and remove a placeholder definition in the Business Park district to reserve that slot for future policy.
Commissioners pressed staff on several technical points. One commissioner asked whether the city had found zoning language that addresses electrical grid reliability; McNamer said he had not found regulations in zoning codes that directly govern grid capacity and that utility compatibility would be reviewed by the local utility provider during development. Another commissioner emphasized the acoustic challenge and urged staff to finalize a required noise-study process, saying, in effect, that “6 inches above the equipment doesn't necessarily solve much of the acoustic problem.” McNamer said staff is preparing a request for qualifications to hire acoustic consultants and is pursuing a noise-study requirement similar to a traffic-impact analysis.
Commissioners expressed general support for the draft amendments as a first step while asking staff and legal to return with a formal noise-study requirement and implementation details. The commission voted unanimously to recommend adoption of the text amendments to the City Commission, with commissioners noting work remains on the acoustic/noise-study component.
The amendments will proceed to the City Commission for final action. Staff said site plans for any permitted data center would be reviewed to confirm compliance with the new criteria and that, where relevant, wetlands delineation and drainage plans would be required prior to final approval.
