Augusta to hold 1st public meeting on data center ordinance

Augusta, Georgia, has initiated a series of public meetings to discuss a proposed ordinance that would establish the city's first-ever regulations for data centers. The initial meeting, held on Monday, addressed long-standing resident concerns regarding water usage, noise levels, potential impacts on power bills, and the rapid pace of data center development within the city.

The draft ordinance, which will only apply to future projects, outlines specific requirements such as a 500-foot buffer between data centers and residential or agricultural properties (reducible to 300 feet with a planted berm), a noise limit of 65 decibels at the property line, and mandatory closed-loop cooling systems to prevent reliance on surface water or private wells. An existing QTS data center under construction on Gordon Highway is exempt from these proposed rules, having received its approvals before a moratorium on new applications was enacted.

Despite the city's efforts, several residents, including James Swanigan and Dimi Mapp, expressed dissatisfaction, feeling their concerns were not adequately reflected in the draft and questioning the necessity of any ordinance if data centers are not wanted in Augusta at all. Calvin Stevenson, president of the Manchester Homeowners Association, also voiced a desire for more specific definitions within the ordinance, particularly concerning noise levels, water consumption for cooling systems, and electricity cost impacts on residents. The city commissioners recently extended a pause on new data center applications by 60 days to allow for these public discussions.