Monroe County commissioners pause on zoning ordinance rewrite for data centers

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners in Georgia has decided to pause talks to rewrite their Unified Development Ordinance, which would have added specific "development standards" for data centers. This comes after the county's Planning and Zoning board recommended updates including rezoning data centers to light industrial and adding a 500-foot buffer from nearby homes or farmland. However, residents feel the proposed changes are not enough, with concerns over generator usage, buffer distances, and a lack of transparency in the regulatory process.