Monroe County commissioners pause on zoning ordinance rewrite for data centers
News ClipWGXA·Monroe County, GA·3/3/2026
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.
zoningoppositionelectricity
Gov: Monroe County Board of Commissioners, Monroe County Planning and Zoning board
Monroe County's Board of Commissioners have decided to pause talks on rewriting their Unified Development Ordinance to add specific "development standards" for data centers. This comes after the county's Planning and Zoning board recommended rezoning data centers to light industrial instead of commercial, and implementing a 500-foot buffer from nearby homes and farmland. Residents feel these measures are not enough, with one suggesting a 5-mile buffer. Disagreements over issues like generators and buffers led the commissioners to pause and rework the language, with a plan to reconvene in two weeks. While one homeowner supports data centers, others feel their concerns have been ignored, and are taking a "breather" for now.