DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry to host data center town hall Dec. 10

DEKALB COUNTY, GA – DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry is inviting the public to attend a town hall on Wednesday, Dec.10, 6 p.m., at the Porter Sanford Auditorium, 3181 Rainbow Drive. Terry wants to hear community feedback on new data center regulations that are coming up for a vote before the DeKalb County Commission on Dec. 16. 

“Many of my constituents are completely against building any data centers in DeKalb, and I’ve heard them,” said Terry, “but if the county doesn’t have any laws in place, it allows developers to build practically anything they want, anywhere.”

“Strict regulations are so important in the process if you want to limit what’s built in DeKalb and to have a voice in what happens. I want to make clear to the community that if a data center is built in DeKalb, it will be the greenest, quietest and safest in the country, and we’ll have a strong ordinance that limits what kind of data centers can be built, where they can be built and monitors their energy and water use,” said Terry. “It’s responsible for our county government to have thoughtful ordinances in place that protect the community.” 

“While these new regulations are some of the best in the country, I believe we can still do better.” 

Terry isaid he plans to advocate to defer the regulation item at the Dec. 16 Board meeting and recommendi that a public hearing will be held and to include the following:

• Requiring a buffer distance of 500 ft from a park or trail. This is currently the proposed regulation for residential area. 
• Every data center and data center expansion must require a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP). The SLUP process ensures a community process before a data center can be built. This is crucial to ensure transparency and allow ample time for the community to assess the proposal. 
• Expand the energy use to include a substantial percentage of on-site renewable energy, as well as installed on the grid in Georgia. 
• A community benefits agreement for every data center through the SLUP process, to ensure our communities are not only protected but invested in. 

The updated data center regulations include: 

• Adding data centers as a use in industrial areas
• Regulating their location
• Regulating their design 
• Providing supplemental review standards.

To see an updated draft of the data center regulations, click the link: https://engagedekalb.dekalbcountyga.gov/data-center-text-amendment

Residents interested in attending the meeting are encouraged to register online at bit.ly/DataCenterTownHall Seating is limited.