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Residents urge Coweta commissioners to tighten data-center rules, warn of noise and rezoning impacts
Summary
During the Jan. 6 meeting residents urged the board to strengthen the county’s data-center ordinance and reject rezoning, citing low-frequency noise risks near schools and concerns that developers such as Prologis may not be accountable if they sell projects.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the Jan. 6 Coweta County commission meeting to press the board to tighten the county’s approach to proposed data-center developments.
Nicole (speaker S10) of District 3 recommended procedural changes to public-comment rules (asking speakers to state the agenda item, grouping commenters by item and allowing longer hearing times when warranted). Later in the non-agenda public-comment slot, Ron Bachrath (speaker S5), a District 2 resident, warned about low-frequency noise from data centers and its potential effects on concentration, memory and emotional stability, particularly near schools. "This is something I don't think we should really have, especially in an area where there are schools," Bachrath said.
Kathy Smith (speaker S6) urged commissioners not to rezone for the proposed data center and said residents were disappointed the commission had "sided with the data developer" rather than those affected. Public commenters named Prologis as the developer of concern and questioned whether a developer could avoid long-term responsibility if it built and then sold a facility.
County officials did not engage the speakers during the public-comment period; staff noted the board would consider comments and asked county staff to correct any factual inconsistencies after the speakers finished. No formal action on data-center rezoning was taken at the Jan. 6 meeting.
