Data Center Text Amendment Update

On Tuesday, June 23rd, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted to deny the proposed Data Center Text Amendment. The Data Center Text Amendment aimed to define data centers in the DeKalb County Code of Ordinances, as well as provide minimum standards for development in DeKalb County. This proposed text amendment sought to provide a framework that would minimize land, water, and energy impacts for residents if or when data center proposals were brought to the county.

The Planning & Sustainability Department would like to thank all community members for their engagement throughout the past year. To the many individuals and organizations that contributed their time, expertise, and perspectives throughout this process you are appreciated. We thank our departmental staff for their extensive research and dedication; our internal County partners for their technical guidance and collaboration; and the industry professionals and subject-matter experts who helped inform the proposed regulatory framework.

We are especially grateful to DeKalb County residents, community organizations, and advocates who attended meetings, reviewed draft language, submitted comments, and shared their concerns and recommendations. Your participation was essential to the public process and helped broaden the County’s understanding of the complex opportunities and challenges associated with data center development.

Although the proposed amendment was not adopted, the research, community engagement, statewide and national collaborative effort during this process remain valuable.

While the scope of our project was unable to capture all the concerns of the community, we are proud of the work that our staff has put into researching, defining, and drafting the proposed text amendment drafts. We hope that this work serves as a foundation for future efforts to regulate data centers and provide the protection needed for DeKalb County residents.

Thank you once again, and we look forward to continuing supporting DeKalb County through our planning efforts.