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DeKalb keeps moratorium on data‑center applications through 2027 while officials shape text amendments and decide study scope
Summary
Commissioner Johnson said the county’s moratorium on new data‑center applications runs through 2027 while staff and commissioners work on text amendments and a possible study; commissioners said they need a clear scope and departmental baseline before funding any countywide health or infrastructure study.
Residents raised concerns about large data centers and asked whether the county had halted approvals. Commissioner Shakira Johnson said a moratorium is in place through 2027 and that the county is using that time to complete text amendments and standard operating procedures that will guide future applications. "Moratorium is in place. No data centers can be built or applied for during that moratorium," Johnson said, and added that staff are collecting department input to ensure any future approvals are accompanied by clear procedures and impact assessments.
Some residents proposed funding an independent health or infrastructure study on the effects of hyperscale data centers. Johnson said commissioners are open to funding research but need a clear, site‑specific scope and baseline before allocating funds; she noted the engineering challenge of a blanket county study without defined locations. Several residents and community-council members urged faster action to close regulatory gaps and to ensure community councils and planning staff have the information needed to evaluate site‑specific impacts.
Why it matters: Data centers can have substantial local infrastructure, water, energy and land‑use impacts. The moratorium preserves regulatory time to craft standards and procedures, and commissioners signaled willingness to fund studies once the county defines the study’s scope and methodology.
