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Hogansville staff outline UDO changes and recommend 90-day extension of data center moratorium
Summary
City staff presented proposed Unified Development Ordinance amendments to allow administrative variances for minor items and to close a loophole; staff also recommended a 90-day extension of a moratorium on data center-related development, with public hearings and readings scheduled through July.
City staff told the Hogansville City Council at a May 4 work session that they are proposing changes to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance to allow administrative variances for minor matters and that they recommend extending a moratorium on data center–related development.
The proposed UDO amendments would permit city staff to issue administrative variances for minor issues — such as setbacks, building height, and parking-space counts — in order to reduce the workload before the Planning and Zoning Commission. Staff said administrative variances would not be permitted in industrial zoning districts, for major subdivisions, or in cases that would circumvent zoning conditions previously approved by the Council. Staff also said the proposed language closes a loophole that had allowed major subdivisions to use "context-sensitive dimensions" to bypass certain requirements.
City staff said a public hearing on the UDO amendments is scheduled for May 18, 2026. The discussion at the work session made clear that staff decisions on administrative variances would be reported to both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Council through monthly reports.
Separately, staff reported that the Data Center Working Group has completed a fourth draft of proposed UDO amendments concerning heavy industrial zoning and data center regulation. Because a moratorium expired on May 3, 2026, staff recommended a 90-day extension to allow the review and formal adoption process to run its course. Staff outlined an intended schedule that includes a Planning and Zoning meeting on May 21, a first reading before the City Council on June 15, and a second reading and potential adoption on July 6; staff estimated the process could be completed in approximately 64 days but advised that the 90-day extension would provide an adequate buffer. City staff said the Council would be asked to consider the moratorium extension at the regular meeting that evening.
Why it matters: the administrative-variance change is intended to speed routine decisions and reduce Planning and Zoning workload, while the moratorium extension and associated UDO changes could materially affect how heavy industrial and data-center projects are reviewed and permitted in Hogansville. The public hearing and multiple readings give residents and the Planning and Zoning body scheduled opportunities to review the draft amendments.
The work session record does not show any formal Council vote on either the UDO amendments or the moratorium extension; staff said formal action would be sought at subsequent meetings.
