DeKalb County rejects data center regulations

DeKalb County commissioners voted 7-0 to reject proposed comprehensive regulations for data center development on Tuesday, following a year of public debate and strong community opposition. The rejected amendment aimed to establish a detailed regulatory framework, classifying data centers by size and restricting them to industrial zones, while imposing strict standards on noise, water usage, energy consumption, and design.

The decision leaves an existing moratorium on data center development, which is set to expire at the end of September, without accompanying regulations. This has prompted concerns from county leaders, including Commissioner Ted Terry, who fears that developers might exploit current code provisions to build data centers without specific oversight. Residents like Deborah Wallace and Gina Mangham vocally urged commissioners to ban data centers outright, arguing that regulations alone are insufficient.

Commissioner Terry, who has actively worked on these regulations, acknowledged the urgency, stating that DeKalb has one official data center applicant and two more in line. He plans to propose an an environmental impact study at the upcoming July 14 Board of Commissioners meeting to assess the potential impacts of data center development. Anti-data center advocates view the vote as a victory, though the path forward for controlling data center expansion in the county remains uncertain.