Greenwood County forms ad hoc committee to examine future data centers
Greenwood County Council has approved the creation of an ad hoc committee to evaluate future data center proposals and enhance the county's existing data center ordinance. The committee, comprising members from each of the county's seven districts, will visit operating data centers as part of an educational process. This initiative follows months of discussion on regulating data centers and their role in economic development.
Greenwood County Council has unanimously approved the formation of an ad hoc committee tasked with reviewing future data center proposals. Chairman Theo Lane will appoint one member from each of the county's seven districts, emphasizing the need for committee members to visit operational data centers for educational purposes. Councilman Robbie Templeton advocated for a diverse committee with both pro and anti-data center viewpoints to ensure public trust.
This committee emerges from ongoing discussions within Greenwood County regarding data center regulation and their role in economic development. Chairman Lane noted that the county's current data center ordinance was praised as robust by a presenter at a South Carolina Association of Counties conference, and he expects the new committee to further enhance these regulations.
In other business, the Council also adopted new Freedom of Information Act response guidelines due to a significant increase in public records requests. The new guidelines will allow the county to consistently apply its existing fee schedule for staff time and printed pages, addressing a growing workload and cost to the government. Additionally, the Council gave second-reading approval to a rezoning request for approximately 100 acres near Highway 25 South and Bypass 25 Southeast, changing a portion of the property from commercial to residential for future housing development.