Rocky Top looks to regulate future AI data center locations in the city

The City of Rocky Top, Tennessee, is proactively addressing the anticipated rise of AI data centers by proposing new zoning regulations. The city's leaders have passed a zoning ordinance on its first reading, which would restrict future AI data centers to specific M-1 industrial zones, away from existing residential and commercial neighborhoods. According to Rocky Top's City Manager, the city cannot outright ban data centers but can control their placement through zoning. This move comes amid a nationwide surge in AI infrastructure construction, with local residents like George Robinson, a barber in the city for over five decades, expressing support for such regulations. Robinson noted that while the post office is currently the biggest industry, the city needs to prepare for inevitable changes. Jesse Diamond, who owns a coffee shop in Rocky Top's downtown, also emphasized the importance of these regulations to prevent potential disruptions. Neighbors have voiced concerns about increased noise and pollution that data centers could bring to the community. The proposed zoning changes aim to mitigate these impacts, ensuring that if a data center were to locate in Rocky Top, it would be in an appropriate industrial area. The city council still needs to pass the ordinance on a second reading for it to be fully enacted.