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Upson County moves to draft stronger data‑center rules as zoning overhaul proceeds
Summary
Planning staff said they are drafting a more detailed data‑center ordinance to address noise, cooling and energy use, and urged waiting for the new planning director before formal adoption; truck‑parking and R2 minimum‑lot‑size changes were discussed as part of the broader zoning update.
County planning staff told commissioners on April 1 that the county's current data‑center ordinance is "bare bones" and that a more detailed draft is under review to address community concerns such as noise, generator use and visual buffering. Staff said they have circulated a longer draft to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and to local staff (Alicia) for input and expect to incorporate that feedback before presenting a formal ordinance.
Why it matters: data centers raise local planning questions — cooling systems and backup generators can create noise and heavy, intermittent power demands; well‑crafted local rules can address aesthetics, decibel limits and setbacks without precluding beneficial economic development.
What staff described:
- The existing ordinance (cited as Ordinance 286) was characterized as minimal; the new draft includes measures on noise limits, landscaping buffers, energy‑use monitoring and specific language about cooling and generator siting. - Staff recommended waiting for the county's incoming planning director before finalizing the text so the new director can have input. - At the same time the board discussed related zoning items: a proposed truck‑parking ordinance aimed at preventing tractor‑trailers and heavy commercial vehicles from parking in residential front yards (the board debated whether to require rear‑yard parking in residential lots) and a suggested text change to R2 minimums to allow 1/2‑acre lots where public water is available and the Upson County Health Department approves septic/perk.
On R2 minimum lot sizes, staff proposed a one‑line amendment to align the local standard with Department of Public Health guidance: allow lots of 21,780 square feet (1/2 acre) when public water is available and environmental health approval for septic/perk is provided; otherwise maintain a one‑acre minimum for unserved lots. Commissioners emphasized the need to avoid overly prescriptive or inflexible ordinance language and to rely on conditional uses/variance processes for unique lots.
Next steps: staff will finalize the data‑center draft with ACCG input and the new planning director's review and then present the packet to the board; the truck‑parking ordinance will be advertised for first reading if commissioners approve the current draft language.
Attribution: planning staff and commissioners participated in the discussion; no final ordinance was adopted at the work session.
