Savannah City Council votes for temporary data center moratorium
Savannah's City Council unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on the development or conversion of large-scale data centers. This freeze targets facilities using 10+ megawatts or warehouse conversions over 200,000 square feet. Mayor Van Johnson noted the city needs time to evaluate water capacity, neighborhood impacts, job growth, and economic benefits.
The Savannah City Council held a meeting where they unanimously voted to implement a temporary freeze on certain data center developments. The moratorium specifically targets large-scale data centers that consume 10 or more megawatts of electricity, as well as the conversion of warehouses exceeding 200,000 square feet for data center use.
Mayor Van Johnson explained that the city requires additional time to thoroughly assess several critical factors. These include the impact on the city's water capacity, potential effects on surrounding neighborhoods, the prospects for permanent job growth, the overall economic benefits, and the long-term implications that such large data centers could have on the city of Savannah. The Council plans to revisit the moratorium at their second council meeting in January to further address these concerns.