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East Point council orders staff to draft zoning text amendments after heated debate over warehouses and data centers
Summary
Councilmember Krista Ziegler moved on May 19 to have the city manager work with staff and the Health Equity CAB on new text amendments for warehousing and industrial zoning; a substitute motion to discuss industrial uses, warehouses and data centers at a June work session passed.
The East Point City Council on May 19 voted to send the question of industrial zoning, data centers and warehouses to a June work session and directed staff to draft text amendments after a vigorous public and council debate about industrial uses near residences.
Councilmember Krista Ziegler made the initial motion that the city manager “work with staff and the health equity advisory board to work on new text amendments regarding warehousing and industrial zoning.” Ziegler said the proposal was intended to address development pressure near longstanding residential neighborhoods and cited a previously adopted moratorium distance of 5,280 feet (one mile) used in earlier industrial review discussions.
Councilmember Martin Rogers offered a substitute motion to bring the topic back for discussion and possible action at a June work session; that substitute motion, amended on the floor to cover “data centers, industrial uses, and warehouses,” carried after debate. The council agreed the June work session would include discussion of options ranging from targeted text amendments to potential moratoria used by neighboring jurisdictions.
Council members and community speakers described concerns about proximity of industrial parcels to residential areas, potential environmental-health impacts near warehouses and data centers, and the urgency of acting while developers are actively seeking sites. Supporters of immediate text amendments said those edits would be faster than waiting for a full zoning-code rewrite; others urged a work-session discussion with broader stakeholder input, community meetings and comparisons to rules in nearby jurisdictions before drafting ordinances.
Why it matters: Council members said the zoning-code rewrite is not yet under contract and they wanted an interim tool to control new industrial uses near homes. The debate highlighted competing priorities: preserving neighborhood health and character versus the need for economic development and predictable permitting processes.
What’s next: Staff and the city manager were directed to work with the Health Equity Community Advisory Board on specific text amendments; the council will take up a longer, comparative discussion on data centers, warehouses and industrial uses at the June work session.
