Monroe County places a moratorium on new data centers. What we know.
Monroe County commissioners passed a moratorium Tuesday evening halting new data center applications while the county considers new zoning ordinances.
The moratorium, which took effect immediately, comes as localities across Middle Georgia battle over the massive, resource-intensive developments, which are necessary to support a myriad of digital technologies.
Monroe County unanimously rejected a proposal to rezone more than 900 acres of land for a data center development in August. Another 950 acres of land off Rumble Road was successfully rezoned for a data center in 2024, and Google purchased the property for a staggering $42 million in September of this year.
In Forsyth, officials are considering whether to rezone more than 1,600 acres of timberland for a 12-million-square-foot data center off Johnsonville Road. Because the data center would be in Forsyth, it would not be subjected to Monroe County’s moratorium.
But Monroe County officials raised concerns that current ordinances don’t adequately manage data centers, and voted 4-1 to place a moratorium while they consider new rules.
Monroe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Alan Gibbs introduced the motion, arguing that placing a moratorium will buy the county some time to adjust the Monroe County Unified Development Ordinance — which governs where and how things can be constructed.
District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland voiced support for the moratorium, saying the county needs time to understand data centers’ impacts on the communities they are located in.
“This data center thing is moving quicker than we can get our hands on,” Rowland said. “It’s a moving target.”
However, not all commissioners felt that a moratorium was the right move. District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis voted against the moratorium, and said he felt it’s just a way for the county to put off dealing with the question of data centers.
“We haven’t had another data center approach us … and I don’t think another one is coming,” Davis said. “Placing a moratorium is doing nothing for two weeks.”
Rowland and Gibbs said the county has a concrete timeline for when they would vote on new ordinances.
According to them, they project that officials can brainstorm new rules, put out public notices and get the proposals through Monroe County Planning and Zoning in time to approve the new rules at the first commissioners meeting in March. Rowland said commissioners can lift the moratorium at the same meeting they approve the new ordinances.
Officials said they are still hashing out the specifics of what those regulations may be. The regulations would not apply to the Rumble Road data center, which has already been approved, but would apply to future developments in the county’s jurisdiction.