La Vergne, Tennessee, considers new zoning rules to restrict data center development
City commissioners in La Vergne, Tennessee, are set to discuss a proposed zoning ordinance amendment that would significantly restrict where data centers can be built. The amendment aims to remove three of four currently permitted zoning districts and impose a 1,000-foot setback from residential areas and other sensitive locations.
La Vergne, Tennessee, city commissioners are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss a proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance that would make it more difficult to build data centers within city limits. The current regulations allow data centers in four zoning districts, but the amendment would reduce this to just one: the designated Interchange Districts.
The proposed changes would eliminate Central Commercial, Civic and Institutional, and Innovation Districts from the list of permitted areas, preventing data centers from being located adjacent to single-family residential neighborhoods. While some mixed-use and planned residential areas would still permit data centers, the amendment introduces a new 1,000-foot buffer.
Under the new rule, data centers would be prohibited from operating within 1,000 feet of residential zoning or residential use areas, churches, daycares, libraries, child educational facilities, public parks, alcohol-serving businesses, and other data centers. This distance would be measured property line to property line, even if the nearby use is outside La Vergne city limits.