Columbia County planning panel approves new 'DC' data-center zoning after public outcry over noise, water and buffers

The Columbia County Planning Commission voted to approve a text amendment establishing a DC (Data Center) zoning district after a two-hour public hearing that drew more than a dozen residents, conservationists and industry representatives.

The ordinance, as approved, creates a standalone district with a 2-acre minimum lot size, a new table of permitted and conditional uses for data centers and related utilities, and operational requirements that include required predevelopment sound studies, a 70-decibel maximum at the property line for operational equipment, photometric and shielding requirements for lighting, and a written “will-serve” verification from utilities. Staff told the commission that the new text does not rezone any parcels; any property owner seeking to change a parcel to DC would still need a separate rezoning public hearing before the Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners.

Why it matters: county residents and environmental groups pressed the commission for stronger protections on noise, water use and ecological impacts. The ordinance attempts to balance those concerns with standards tailored to…