Data center ordinance returns to Augusta Commission
Augusta’s data center ordinance is scheduled to return to the Augusta Commission for a second reading and vote. The proposed rules would regulate siting, setbacks, noise, water use, infrastructure, landscaping, environmental protections and review procedures, while commissioners are also considering additional utility and community-benefit requirements.
Augusta’s proposed data center ordinance is scheduled as the first item on the Augusta Commission’s consent agenda for a second reading. Commissioners initially approved the ordinance 6-5 on Sept. 15, with Mayor Garnett Johnson supporting it, but the meeting minutes incorrectly recorded the vote as unanimous. The ordinance would establish Augusta’s first detailed framework for data center development, including zoning eligibility, setbacks, noise, water use, infrastructure, landscaping, environmental protections and review procedures.
The commission previously extended a 60-day moratorium after declining to approve an earlier draft that largely limited data centers to heavy industrial zones and required commission approval. Commissioner Stacy Pulliam is seeking further changes covering developer-funded utility protections, community benefits agreements and limits on facility growth. Resident Chastanae Cherry is also scheduled to address the commission about an oversight committee for the ordinance’s protections.