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Planning staff outlines draft approach to data-center rules after public meeting; moratorium, draft rules due in January
Summary
Planning staff presented research and a draft approach to regulate data centers—defining types, tiers, and thresholds—and sought public input. Staff will post draft text amendments before the Jan. 8 Planning Commission meeting; the mayor and commission could hear recommendations Jan. 20 with a Feb. 3 vote while a moratorium currently runs through March 6.
Planning staff led an extended Dec. 11 discussion on possible zoning text amendments for data centers, outlining background, operational differences among small and large facilities, infrastructure stressors, and a timeline to draft regulations for the Planning Commission and mayor and commission.
Bruce (planning staff) described how data centers have evolved into a variety of facilities—edge, colocation, hyper‑scale and enterprise—each with different cooling, redundancy and water/energy demands, and said local regulation needs clear definitions and performance-based standards rather than forcing imperfect analogies to offices or warehousing. He stressed the distinction between smaller, low‑draw facilities and larger, high‑draw facilities that require significant on-site backup generation and fuel storage.
Staff proposed a starting regulatory framework using power-draw thresholds as a proxy for potential impact: facilities drawing 2.5 megawatts and below would be by-right subject to plan review and code compliance; between 2.5 and 5 megawatts could be permitted with specific mitigations (for example, reclaimed-water "purple pipe" connections, closed-loop cooling, or on-site renewable energy for redundancy); and facilities above 5 megawatts would be reviewed as a special use. Staff emphasized closed-loop cooling and restrictions on evaporative cooling as baseline expectations to protect potable-water resources.
Staff also explained an important caveat: facilities that are part of a regulated public utility’s core distribution or network (for example, projects submitted by Georgia Power as part of its regulated service) may be exempt from local zoning when the facility is integral to provision of the utility service, while speculative, leasable third-party data centers would not share that exemption.
Members of the public and local scientists urged stringent review and public notice. Olivia Asher of the Coalition of Athens Scientists urged that "all data centers should require a special land use permit even if they're small" to ensure public input and submitted plans including water/energy-use plans, stormwater and transmission assessments, and proof of customers. Dr. Tawana Smith Mattis recounted local environmental harms in a nearby neighborhood and asked the commission to ensure the community would not again face unreviewed industrial development.
Staff said it will draft text amendments and post them in advance of a Jan. 8 Planning Commission meeting. If the Planning Commission recommends, staff expects the mayor and commission presentation on Jan. 20 and a potential vote on Feb. 3; the current moratorium on new data-center development is set to expire March 6 unless the mayor and commission extend it.
No formal land-use action or vote on text amendments occurred on Dec. 11; the meeting functioned as a public outreach and scoping conversation to shape draft regulatory language.
