Data Center Text Amendment

Purpose of this Regulation

Throughout the Atlanta metro area, there has been a sharp increase in data center development. While data centers provide necessary infrastructure for the modern world, DeKalb County is seeking to ensure that the significant land, energy, and water consumption by these facilities does not negatively impact the community. Staff conducted extensive research into data centers and held discussions with community partners to find a balance between economic development and the welfare of the community.

This ordinance will add data centers as a use in industrial areas and regulate their location, design, and provide supplemental review standards. You can read the draft ordinance here, and a summary is provided below.

Summary

Data Centers are broken up into 3 categories based on size and energy needs:

• Data Center, Minor: A physical room, building, or transmitting applications and services, or for storing and managing the data associated with those applications and services, which contains a threshold of less than 20,000 square feet, does not require a substation, and operates under 5 MWh. A minor data center can include data centers as an accessory use if they are under 2,000 square feet.
• Data Center, Major: A major data center will have a minimum load of 5 MWh, one or more substations that operate within property lines, and will be 20,000 square feet or larger.
• Data Center, Campus: A data center campus will have a minimum large load capacity of 45 MWh, one (1) or more substations that operate within property lines, and will have a minimum building complex of 500,000 square feet.

Please see the below table for examples of the different sizes and scales:

Data Center, Minor	Data centers under 20,000 sq ft in size. Intended to accommodate small-scale operations with minimal community impacts and accessory uses. May be located in a shared office building.
Data Center, Major	Data centers between 20,000 sq ft and 500,000 sq ft. Data centers classified as major have greater land, power, and water requirements and are intended for industrial areas.
Data Center, Campus	Data centers above 500,000 sq ft can have significant community impacts and therefore require a greater level of review.

Zoning:

• Data centers shall only be permitted in Light Industrial and Industrial zoning districts and character areas due to limited employment generation, and lack of public accessibility. A Special Land Use Permit will be required for data centers classified as Major and Campus.
• Data centers will be permitted as accessory uses in Office Institutional zoning districts to accommodate small-scale operations in higher intensity areas.

Separation and Buffer Requirements

• Facility Spacing: Data centers shall not be located within 3/4 of a mile of each other, and no more than 4 within a 2-mile radius.
• Proximity to Transit: Data centers shall not be located within a half a mile (2,640 ft) of a high-capacity transit stop.
• Transitional Buffers: Data centers adjacent to non-industrial zoning districts must maintain a minimum transitional buffer of 75’ along the parcel boundary and be enclosed by a freestanding wall or fence with a minimum height of 7 feet.
• Landscaping: Facilities must provide a 10-foot-wide landscaped buffer along all property lines with a minimum seven (7) foot high wall or fence and canopy trees planted at a rate of 1 tree per 30 feet.

Site Layout and Design Requirements

• Equipment Placement: Substations, electrical yards, mechanical yards, and any other exposed equipment shall be located in the rear yard of the primary structure and where possible in the location least visible from a public street or park.
• Building Façade: A minimum of thirty (30) percent of the width of the front façade of the building at the ground level shall consist of fenestration.

Supplemental Standards

• Applicants must submit a letter from the utility provider verifying that the applicant is in compliance with all policies, procedures, and guidelines established by the provider.
• Generator testing will only be allowed between the hours of 5:00pm and 8:00pm, with testing not exceeding two hours daily on weekdays.
• All cooling and ventilation equipment within property boundaries must operate on a closed-loop system and must follow Watershed standards for usage and disposal.