DeKalb County Commission denies proposed data center regulations
The DeKalb County Commission denied proposed land-use and zoning regulations for data centers at its June 23 meeting. This decision followed an earlier vote to defer and occurred while an existing moratorium on data center construction applications was recently extended until September 30. The rejected regulations aimed to restrict facilities to industrial areas and require special land-use permits for larger projects.
The DeKalb County Commission, during its June 23 meeting, voted to deny proposed land-use and zoning regulations for data centers, ultimately shooting down the proposal in a unanimous decision. This action came after an initial vote to defer the regulations, which had been under consideration for approximately one year.
A moratorium on data center construction applications has been in effect in DeKalb County since July 2025 and was recently extended for another 100 days, through September 30. The rejected regulations aimed to confine data centers to industrial areas and necessitate special land-use permits for most developments, particularly those exceeding 100,000 square feet.
Proposed amendments included capping data center campuses at 1 million square feet of disturbed land and increasing buffer zones from residential properties to 750 feet from a previous 500 feet. Commissioners Robert Patrick, Mereda Davis Johnson, LaDena Bolton, Chakira Johnson, Nicole Massiah, Michelle Long Spears, and Ted Terry were noted as participants in the public hearing and subsequent vote.