Jones County planning board sends data center amendment to commissioners

The proposal includes acreage, height and buffer requirements but faces criticism over process and protections.

JONES COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Jones County Planning and Zoning Board voted 2-1 Monday night to forward a proposed text amendment regulating data centers to the county’s board of commissioners.

The amendment sets parameters for data centers, including a 100-acre minimum lot size, 200-foot setbacks, 100-foot buffers, a 75-foot building height limit, noise restrictions, environmental and traffic studies and a decommissioning plan.

Planning and Zoning Board member Stephen Hoyt, who voted against the amendment, said his opposition was focused on the process.

“My vote was a symbolic vote in nature because I was opposing the process,” he said. “We put a lot of effort and energy into creating safeguards, what’s known as standards of performance, but those safeguards didn’t make it to the county commissioners to vote on back in September.”

Despite the measures included in the proposed amendment, many residents remain concerned and continue to support a moratorium. They say the amendment does not provide enough protections for the county or its citizens.

“The most concerning thing that I heard tonight was that Commissioner Hoyt said that the previous ordinance was written by the data center developer, and that this ordinance is no different,” he said. “That is unacceptable,” said Fletcher Sams of Altamaha Riverkeeper.

Resident Alex Lefholz said the text amendment isn’t strong enough.

“There are not enough protections in place protecting the citizens and the resources of Jones County,” Lefholz said. “And now that we are knowingly going forward with it and ignoring the very real, but very conservative, objections of the citizens of Jones County, they can and will be held accountable.”

The amendment now moves to the full board of commissioners for a vote on Friday.