The City of Athens responded to a couple of media requests inquiring about the advertisement of a Zoning Ordinance amendment related to data centers. One media outlet misunderstood the information provided, which has led to some confusion as to the intent of the amendment.

The City is proposing an amendment to its Zoning Ordinance to address data centers because not doing so leads to legal uncertainty. 

The City of Athens has not received a request related to a data center, but the City of Athens saw a growing trend that communities across the U.S. are dealing with regarding proposed data centers, and many of those communities, including Athens, had Zoning Ordinances that did not address them.

The City proposes addressing data centers as a conditional use in the manufacturing/heavy industrial zone, meaning they are not automatically allowed in that zone but would have to make a request to locate in that zone. Conditional use provides an additional level of scrutiny and the ability to apply conditions of use, restricts the location and does not offer a guarantee of approval. 

Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance are advertised publicly. They start with the Planning Commission where there is a public hearing, and then the Planning Commission sends it to City Council with or without a recommendation. They go to the City Council for another public hearing and final action.

The proposed amendment to address data centers is scheduled to appear on the City Council’s agenda on April 27.