Planning commission recommends text amendment to allow data centers in M‑2, 2‑1 vote after heated public comment

The Jones County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended a draft ordinance that would allow data centers in the county’s M‑2 industrial district as a conditional use, voting 2–1 after an extended public hearing in which residents and experts pressed the panel for stronger safeguards.

County‑retained attorney Ken Gerard, who presented the draft, told commissioners the ordinance would require both M‑2 zoning and a separate use permit approved by the Board of Commissioners. Gerard said the ordinance includes performance standards he described as strict: a minimum lot size of 100 acres, a 75‑foot height cap, a 200‑foot impervious setback, minimum 100‑foot buffers, landscaping rules, noise modeling and limits, an environmental impact study that must accompany a use‑permit application, traffic studies, closed‑loop water options, and decommissioning plans with financial sureties.

"You have to have both," Gerard said of zoning and the use permit, adding the use‑permit structure "bakes in flexibility" so the Board of Commissioners may impose conditions tailored to any application.

Supporters including Jeff Haymore, a land‑use attorney representing the Jones County Development Authority, said the amendment implements the county’s comprehensive plan and would help market the Griswoldville Industrial Park to employers. Haymore noted the park has been zoned M‑2 since 2007 and argued the ordinance is a first step toward economic development.

Opponents focused on drinking‑water protections, noise and health impacts, and procedural concerns. Fletcher Sams of the Riverkeeper urged extending the moratorium on data centers "until proper protections for the county drinking water system is in place," citing the park’s location across Oconee and Ocmulgee drainages. Resident and attorney Britney Calhoun said the draft is "riddled with ambiguities" and leaves too much discretionary power that could create legal exposure. Resident Dustin Riley alleged the current noise thresholds represent a substantive increase from earlier drafts and warned weighted‑decibel standards may miss low‑frequency humming that can carry long distances.

Gerard and staff responded that there is no specific applicant before the commission tonight and that environmental and technical details — such as landscaping water needs — would depend on any future application’s parcel and plan. Gerard said the developer or applicant would fund required environmental impact studies and that inadequate studies would be rejected.

After discussion, a motion to recommend the text amendment to the Board of Commissioners carried by a recorded vote of 2 in favor and 1 opposed. The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to consider the ordinance on January 16. If approved by commissioners, individual data‑center projects would still require a separate use permit with specific studies and conditions.

Planning staff noted additional items on the agenda and that the M‑3 zoning proposal was tabled for further work.