Tabled data center ban back on Bulloch County Commission’s Tuesday agenda
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners will reconsider a proposed zoning text amendment aimed at banning data centers, an item previously tabled for 30 days. Meanwhile, a temporary moratorium on data centers remains in effect until December 31, 2026. The commissioners have also discussed an alternative proposal that would allow data centers in specific overlay zones with restrictions, though this is not on the current agenda.
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners is set to address a proposed zoning text amendment that seeks to ban data centers during its upcoming September 1 meeting. This amendment, which would define data centers and explicitly exclude them from General Business, Heavy Manufacturing, and Light Manufacturing zones, was previously tabled by a 3-2 vote on August 4.
Planning and Development Director James Pope presented an alternative proposal on August 18 for an overlay zoning that would allow data centers in specific areas under certain restrictions, but this alternative has not yet completed the full ordinance amendment process and is not on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting. The county's Planning and Zoning Commission had previously recommended the ban amendment for approval by a 5-1 vote on July 21.
Commissioners face a decision to either approve, reject, or further postpone a vote on the proposed ban. Concurrently, a temporary moratorium initiated in February and extended in May, barring data centers in the county's unincorporated areas, remains active until December 31, 2026.