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Resident urges moratorium on data-center permits, citing lack of local safeguards
Summary
A public commenter told the Cheatham County Commission the county is "vulnerable" to data centers and urged quick adoption of development and construction standards or a moratorium until legal protections are in place; commissioners acknowledged the planning commission had discussed restrictions and asked for more information from regional planning.
During the commissions public forum on July 20, a resident who the chair introduced as Linda Rider urged the county to establish stricter rules or a moratorium on permitting data centers.
"With no other restrictions in place, no development restrictions, no, design or construction standards in place that are specific to data centers, I think we're just an easy target ready to be hit by somebody turning in a permit application to build a data center," Rider said, arguing that county zoning alone (I-2 or I-3 industrial) is insufficient to protect residents, pets and livestock.
Rider also told commissioners she had raised the issue at a recent planning commission meeting and criticized that boards attendance record and its decision to postpone voting on how to proceed. She said the regional planning council (GNRC) had been asked to provide examples of restrictions and moratoriums used elsewhere.
Commissioners acknowledged the comment and noted the planning commission had discussed the item in a July 2 meeting; no county staff or attorney provided a detailed legal response in the meeting transcript. The county attorneys prior recommendation (as summarized by Rider) had been against a moratorium "unless adequate legal protections for the public are in place," a point Rider said she disagreed with.
No formal agenda item or motion regarding a moratorium was introduced during the meeting; the comment was recorded as part of the public forum and flagged by commissioners as an issue for future workshops and interboard discussion.
