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Coffee County mayor urges temporary moratorium on data centers while zoning is updated
Summary
The county mayor asked the Planning Commission to recommend a moratorium (initially 180 days, with some members preferring 12 months) and review a draft zoning amendment on data centers to address definitions, power, water and noise concerns.
The County Mayor told the Coffee County Planning Commission on May 26 that mounting public concern about data centers requires the commission to act quickly and to clarify zoning language before additional permits are issued. "I am suggesting 180 days," the mayor said, urging a temporary moratorium while the county defines key terms and drafting restrictions.
The mayor said he had retained a professional planner, Amanda Reinhardt, and had a nine-page draft zoning amendment on data centers that he handed to the commission chair and will distribute to members. He asked the commission to prepare a formal recommendation the board of county commissioners can take up at its next meeting.
Commission members raised multiple practical concerns during the discussion: whether data centers could connect to local electricity and water systems, the potential impact on rates and supply, noise and air emissions, and how vested rights could limit the county's ability to bar developments that already have compliance steps underway. One commissioner cited recent action in Knox County that restricts data centers' connections to public electricity as a possible model.
Speakers also noted the county's economic-development "mega site" and questioned whether data centers would bring the promised jobs while consuming substantial public resources. Commissioners discussed moratorium length, with the mayor proposing six months and another member suggesting a 12-month pause to allow thorough study.
The commission did not adopt a moratorium at the May 26 meeting; the mayor asked that the commission consider making a formal recommendation to the full county legislative body after reviewing the draft amendment and staff research on legal constraints and utility oversight.
The commission requested staff research into state and federal jurisdictional limits, local utility connections, and precedents such as the Knox County action. Further consideration of a moratorium and a zoning amendment is expected at a future meeting.
