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Garden City council adopts six‑month moratorium on data centers after public urging
Summary
Garden City’s mayor and council unanimously approved a temporary six‑month moratorium on accepting applications or issuing permits for data centers, giving staff and the planning commission time to study zoning amendments. An environmental group urged prompt action during public comment.
Garden City’s mayor and council on June 15 voted unanimously to impose a temporary six‑month moratorium on the acceptance of applications and the issuance of permits, licenses or approvals for the establishment, construction or operation of data centers within the city.
The council approved the resolution after City Manager Manning said the pause will allow city staff, the planning commission and the council time to review potential impacts and consider amendments to the zoning ordinance. "This will allow city staff, planning commission, and city council sufficient time to review the impacts and consider the amendments to the zoning ordinance," Manning said as the resolution was read aloud.
During the public comment period, Jeffrey Bobet, a resident who said he represents the environmental nonprofit 100 Miles, urged passage and offered a sample ordinance for the city to consider. Bobet said data centers are an emerging industrial land use with significant natural‑resource and neighborhood impacts, and he pointed to other Georgia local governments that have enacted moratoria while drafting regulations.
"Developers are eyeing our region," Bobet said, urging the council to "press pause" so that resident feedback can be incorporated into any final ordinance. He cited Kingsland and nearby counties that have adopted moratoria and offered to provide sample ordinance language to the city clerk.
The resolution approved by the council imposes a six‑month moratorium on processing new data‑center applications within Garden City’s corporate limits, provides for specific exemptions noted in the text of the resolution, and sets an effective date upon adoption. Council members voted in favor on a roll call vote; the clerk announced the motion carried.
Next steps outlined by staff included further review by planning staff and the planning commission and drafting potential zoning amendments for subsequent public hearings and council consideration.
