Jones County Commissioners approve new zoning ordinance outlining path for data center development

Jason Rizner, the County Administrator for Jones County, says while they haven't received an application for a data center, the county is looking to be proactive in an effort to mitigate the potential harmful effects it would bring.

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Commissioners have approved a new zoning ordinance, outlining what would be required for developers seeking to bring a new data center to Jones County.

Jason Rizner, the County Administrator for Jones County, says while they haven’t received an application for a data center, the county is looking to be proactive in an effort to mitigate the potential harmful effects it would bring. The new ordinance outlines where a new data center would be allowed, accepted noise levels, environmental studies and more.

“It establishes a framework so that the data center, whoever wants to build it, knows what’s expected of them,” Rizner said. “The commissioners have requirements to follow as they are evaluating those proposals. It just gives everybody some clarity on what would be required for a project like that.”

Rizner says developers would make their own decision about where to locate a new data center facility, but adds the county has a 950-acre industrial park that’s open to more development.

“We’ve got utilities in place there, and our development authority actively markets that piece of property for a number of different types of industries,” Rizner said. “We’re not specifically targeting data centers, certainly, but we do have that industrial park available for various commercial businesses that might want to locate in Jones County.”

Rizner says the county is always looking for ways to bring more jobs and economic growth and adds that community feedback would be greatly valued in decisions made about potential data center development in the future.