COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — The Coweta County Commission voted to impose a moratorium on proposals for building new data centers until Nov. 3.
The decision came Tuesday, just weeks after commissioners voted to approve a data center project.
During an executive session, commissioners expressed concerns with data center development and the county’s lack of specific and detailed guidelines for the proposals.
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“I believe we need the ordinance to protect us as a county, protect our citizens and I also believe that we need to pass a moratorium on rezonings for data centers,” said Comm. Bill McKenzie during the executive session. “I’m not against data centers, in the least, but I think they need to be in the right place, and that being in our industrial areas and uh that’s just the way I feel.”
During discussion of a moratorium, commissioners asked the county attorney and the attorney for the Coweta County Development Authority about how a moratorium would impact the Project Peach’s approval and Project Sail’s potential to move forward.
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“I don’t disagree that we’re being inundated with these data centers and we don’t have our ducks in a row,” Comm. John Reidelbach said. “Can we still put a moratorium in place and make them wait to get this ordinance in place?”
Channel 2 Action News covered the $17 billion Project Sail‘s development proposal back in January when it first began to apply for approval.
Project Peach was approved, with more than two dozen conditions, on April 16.
At that commission meeting, Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers heard from Palmetto residents who are pushing back strongly against the new development.
“We just approved one here a couple of weeks ago, and we put in 27 conditions, am I correct Mr. Fouts?” Reidelbach asked the county attorney, Michael Fouts.
Fouts confirmed there were numerous conditions for approval for Project Peach.
To better serve their constituents and set proper guidelines for the data center development process, commissioners voted to have a 180 day pause on new proposals, which would last until Nov. 3.
During the moratorium, county staff would have the opportunity to set “minimum standards and the other things [that] will come into a zoning condition,” according to Fouts.
Commissioner Jeff Fisher said he agreed with the comments of his board colleagues but wanted to have a more detailed discussion with staff.
“I know what it’s going for, but we have two and we have to address what is on our doorstep today,” Fisher said.
Commissioners chose to have a vote on the moratorium at the public board meeting later on Tuesday evening, eventually passing it unanimously.
The moratorium will run for 180 days, but if an ordinance is drafted that handles the guidelines they feel necessary, and it passes a commission vote before Nov. 3, the moratorium could be lifted early.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said Project Sail had been approved. It is still going through the process. The story has been updated to reflect this change.
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