About two dozen people rally against data centers outside of the DeKalb County Government Service Center ahead of the county commission's zoning meeting on Nov. 20, 2025. (Zoe Seiler/Decaturish)
DECATUR, Ga. — The DeKalb County Commission deferred action on data center regulations until the end of the year during its Nov. 20 zoning meeting.
The commission also deferred a decision on a proposed 1-million-square-foot data center at 4280 and 4358 Loveless Place and 2281 Pineview Trail in Ellenwood in South DeKalb County.
The proposal drew opposition from South DeKalb residents. About two dozen people rallied against it and data centers generally, before the meeting.
About 75 to 100 people attended the zoning meeting, and many spoke against data centers, raising health and environmental concerns. Some were in favor of the ordinance, some would like DeKalb County to ban the centers, and many were wary of the Ellenwood proposal.
Several individuals were also escorted out of the meeting room after chanting “Let the people speak” at the end of the public hearing. Some in the audience shouted other comments, and Presiding Officer Michelle Long Spears asked DeKalb Police to escort them out of the meeting.
A handful of people stayed in the hallway for a few minutes, chanting, “Stop all data centers.”
DeKalb County is drafting an ordinance to regulate data centers. The current draft introduces a new category, mandates a closed-loop water system, and outlines the plans to be included in a permit application.
In October, the county commission extended a moratorium on new data center applications until Dec. 16 while the planning department drafts regulations on data centers. DeKalb County does not currently have any guidelines in place.
The draft ordinance was deferred until Dec. 16 for a decision. The vote was 5-1 with Commissioner Ted Terry opposing. Terry made a motion to hold a public hearing on the Dec. 16 meeting, but it did not pass.
“I believe we can do data centers the right way,” Terry told Decaturish. “But too many people are against it, and it’s our job to meet them where they are at and answer all questions and concerns.”
Zoning Administrator Rachel Bragg said the staff would be prepared to propose another extension to the moratorium at the Dec. 16 meeting.
DeKalb County Commissioners Mereda Davis Johnson, Nicole Massiah, Michelle Long Spears, Chakira Johnson, LaDena Bolton, and Ted Terry, joining virtually, deferred a data center ordinance and proposal during a meeting on Nov. 20, 2025. (Zoe Seiler/Decaturish)
Four data center categories proposed
The goal of the ordinance is to establish land use regulations for data centers. It includes requirements around permitted locations, plans to be submitted with an application, architecture, noise and maintenance.
The draft includes a use table listing four permitted classifications for industrial areas.
— Data Center, Minor: Fewer than 20,000 square feet, and likely does not require a dedicated substation. This includes data centers as accessory uses if they are less than 2,000 square feet.
These would be allowed as an accessory use in office institutional areas and as a permitted use in office distribution, light industrial, and heavy industrial zoning districts.
— Data Center, Medium: Facilities between 20,000 and 100,000 square feet and may or may not have a dedicated substation. These would be allowed in high-intensity commercial districts or industrial areas.
Medium data centers would require a special land use permit in office, institutional, and distribution, and would be a permitted use in light and heavy industrial zoning districts.
This category was added to the draft in response to feedback that the major category was previously too broad, encompassing centers ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 square feet. County staff also specified regulations for major data centers under 100,000 square feet and ultimately decided to make it a separate classification.
— Data Center, Major: Facilities between 100,000 and 500,000 square feet and likely has a dedicated substation. These would be allowed in high-intensity commercial districts or industrial areas.
Major data centers would require a special land use permit in office, institutional, and distribution, and light and heavy industrial zoning districts.
— Data Center, Campus: A singular development containing more than one building, with a minimum square footage of 500,000 square feet, and likely has more than one substation.
Data center campuses would not be allowed in office, institutional, or distribution areas and would require a special land-use permit in light- or heavy-industrial zoning districts.
A previous version of the ordinance included megawatt metrics in addition to square footage, but those were removed because the county is only regulating land use. Staff also found that megawatt usage didn’t necessarily correlate with facility size.
With any data center application, developers will have to provide a noise impact assessment, water consumption and sustainability plan, energy consumption and sustainability plan, stormwater management plan, lighting plan, transmission line impact assessment, tree preservation and reforestation plan and a sewer update plan.
A special land use permit, however, would not be required if an industrial property is redeveloped, reused, renovated or reconstructed to be a data center.
Nearly 50 people attended a data center community forum on Nov. 15 in Decatur, where advocates voiced concerns about their impacts.
DeKalb resident Gina Mangham speaks during a rally against data centers at the DeKalb Government Service Center ahead of the county commission’s zoning meeting on Nov. 20, 2025. (Zoe Seiler/Decaturish)
Ellenwood project draws community opposition
South DeKalb County resident Quanda Stroud and advocates shared concerns about energy costs and the environmental and health implications associated with the proposed Ellenwood data center.
According to a county staff report, the 95-acre site would be a data center campus with an outdoor electric substation. Three two-story buildings would be located on the site.
PCC-DeKalb, LLC is seeking a special land use permit for the center, which would be in a small lot residential mix and mixed-use low-density zoning districts. The site is also in the Bouldercrest Overlay District, Tier 5, and the Soapstone Historic District.
“While the [Bouldercrest Overlay District] land use table does not include a ‘Data Center’ land use category, it appears that the applicant has indicated the most similar land use in the BOD is ‘utility structure for transmission of service,’” the staff report says.
The staff considers the proposed use to be most similar to warehousing and storage, which is not allowed in Tier 5.
The county staff recommended denial of the application, and the county commission deferred the application to Jan. 13, 2026.
Deputy Presiding Officer Nicole Massiah, who made the motion, said the county needs to have zoning regulations in place to move forward with this proposal.
A lawyer representing PCC-DeKalb asked for a 30-day deferral to confer with planning staff, review recently completed environmental and sound studies and comply with the draft data center ordinance.
This story was provided by WABE media partner Decaturish.
