Residents at a Douglas County panel asked about a large clearing near Bright Star and whether a data center was proposed there. Allison Duncan, the county's planning and zoning manager, said the county has treated data centers on a case‑by‑case basis and that the board placed a moratorium on data center applications in 2025 to allow staff review.

Duncan said staff returned recommendations after a roughly six‑month review and made code changes to increase scrutiny for data center proposals. She described collaboration with Georgia Power and Southern Company and said Georgia Power recently published new large‑load customer requirements that increase upfront financial commitments for prospective data center customers.

"We worked with the Water and Sewer Authority to understand the impact of facilities," Duncan said, noting water‑cooled data centers require infrastructure and that a new water tower will be needed on the county's eastern side to support potential growth. She said those infrastructure and utility conditions, together with state and industry requirements, have slowed speculative projects.

Duncan added that staff monitors market data (citing CoStar as a market source) and that one data center proposal was scheduled for the planning and zoning meeting on Jan. 6 in the Thornton‑Rockhouse Road area (District 2). She said the moratorium was not intended simply to block projects but to allow the county to understand locations, infrastructure and impacts and then set conditions that protect fire, public safety, transportation, water and sewer delivery.

Next steps: Planning staff said the pending application will be on the January planning and zoning agenda; county staff will continue to monitor utilities' large‑load rules and work with Georgia Power, Southern Company and the Water and Sewer Authority on infrastructure implications.