DeKalb County delays final vote on data-center rules

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Thursday delayed action on zoning regulations for data centers, voting 5-1-0 to schedule a vote on the day in December when an existing moratorium on the facilities expires.

County planners said they would be making minor changes to the amendment during the next month, in preparation for a vote during a morning meeting of the BOC on December 16.

The Thursday evening zoning meeting was interrupted several times by a few unruly opponents and police were asked to remove some of them from the room. At one point, Commissioner Michelle Long Spears, who was presiding, threatened to call a recess if the disruption did not end.

DeKalb County Planning Commission recommends new data-center regulations

The DeKalb County Planning Commission on Thursday recommended approval of an zoning code amendment establishing regulations for data centers. The vote was 5-0-1 (one abstention).

During public comments, DeKalb Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Jan Dunaway noted that distance requirements between data centers have been removed from the latest draft. She also said the amendment did not address cooling water discharges. 

"I do not see anything in here that says I cannot discharge [coolant] into the sewer system or the stormwater system," Dunaway said. "The antifreeze is going to end up in our streams. That is a major concern."