Data centers—facilities where up to thousands of computers store digital information—are popping up all over Georgia. Communities are also organizing to stop them. This month, the fight quietly came to Athens. A request to allow a potential 2-million square foot data center in North Athens was denied in early October.
Greenbelt residents call out industrial expansion
Neighbors of a proposed 2-million square foot industrial building in District 3 strongly opposed the project. They spoke out in a mayor and commission meeting, citing concern for the area’s agricultural character.
The Old Elberton Road property is in the city’s “greenbelt”—an area to the north and west of Athens zoned for agricultural purposes. One neighbor called for the local government to enshrine some part of the greenbelt going forward.
“In recent years, we have seen much of that green space consumed by industry and business after rezoning was allowed,” he said. “I think now is the time to create a definitive boundary so that at least a portion of the greenspace remains intact.”
Commissioners unanimously denied the rezoning that would have allowed the project to go ahead.
Commissioner calls for moratorium on data center approvals
Commissioner Melissa Link, who represents the 2nd District, said the Old Elberton Road property had a slim chance of getting approved from the get-go, because submitted plans were not definitive. But she also called for a moratorium—or pause—on data centers in Clarke County so that decision makers can study the potential impacts of these types of projects.
Supporters of data centers say they bring jobs and tax revenue, and power our increasingly data-driven world. Critics point out that data centers can decrease quality of life for neighbors, in addition to using resources and contributing to climate change. Here’s Commissioner Link.
“It’s very clear that they use excessive amounts of energy and excessive amounts of water, and they bring very few jobs,” Link said.
She said that because data centers are a relatively new type of land use, they’re not defined in county zoning code.
“I feel like we need to lay down a moratorium and learn everything we possibly can about this technology and about these facilities and all the impact they have on our communities,” she said. “Let’s understand and develop some local rules and regulations that can at least give us some say.”
Expert weighs in on possible regulations
If Clarke County establishes tighter control over data centers, it would join other communities around the state.
Dekalb County is currently considering how to regulate data centers and has drafted cutoffs based on characteristics of the projects. How deeply a proposed data center is scrutinized by planning officials depends on how much energy it uses, for example.
Bob Sherrier is a lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center. He says that when thinking about regulating data centers, communities should look to their specific needs when establishing these cutoff points.
“I think it depends on what are the resources you’re concerned about,” he said. “If it’s energy, maybe you look at megawatts and the infrastructure that would be required to hook it up to the grid. If it’s water, maybe it’s how many gallons a day are they going to use.”
Currently, in Athens-Clarke County, industrial projects of any type are submitted to a three-tier form of review by the Planning Department. Depending on their tier, developers are required to file for a site review or special use permit.
As regulations stand, developers missed the mark on the Old Elberton Road rezone—but if a project with clearer intentions for a data center comes forward, opposed neighbors may have a greater challenge ahead of them.
