With multiple data centers now opening across Alabama, the Athens City Council addressed community concerns regarding the possibility of such facilities being constructed in the municipality's limits.
On Monday evening, before a packed house, the council passed an amendment to the City's zoning ordinance limiting where data centers can be built in Athens.
"We're proposing to amend the zoning ordinance to clearly identify data centers as a defined use, and clearly define that data centers are a conditional use in the heavy industrial district in Athens, and that's it," explained Erin Tidwell, City planner for Athens. "That's the only place. And it's not a permitted use. It's a conditional use. A common challenge facing local governments is that older zoning codes do not explicitly address data centers. They're not a defined use in there because it wasn't a common use prior to now."
Tidwell contrasted "operational characteristics" of a data center with those of commercial or light industrial use facilities, particularly noting the low unemployment density at data centers already opened in the state.
"The American Planning Association, what they're telling us is that from the exterior, data centers may be physically indistinguishable from many commercial or light industrial uses," continued Tidwell. "So from the outside, they look like a light industrial use [facility]. However, the operational characteristics of these facilities are distinct. They're quite distinct from the surrounding land use. From a planning perspective, the most noteworthy characteristics that set them apart relate to their electricity and water use, their noise production, enhanced safety and security needs. So think lighting, and their low employment densities."
Added Tidwell, "You could have a data center on 250 acres that can employ 10 people. That's something to keep in mind."
During the meeting, Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks dispelled concerns that a data center was planned for the City.
"There is a lot of information we tried to push out for the public and for the media. There is misinformation, and quite honestly, there is disinformation," said Marks. "That has created a lot of issues in our community that I hope we can clear up. We're trying to be proactive. I have signed lots of non-disclosure statements on retail and commercial properties that I've worked on over the past few years. I have never signed, nor do I currently have any knowledge of a data center in Athens, Alabama. We do not have one."
"I have not been approached by anyone, and we're doing our best to be proactive for the best interest of you as citizens and me on the impact of what a data center could be in our community," he concluded.
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