Data Centers Again Focus of Hogansville Council

At the October 19 Hogansville City Council meeting, a lengthy discussion was held about the Hogansville Planning & Zoning Commission’s recommendation about the proposed amendments to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). By a vote of 3 to 1 (two members were absent), the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended removing data center regulations from the ordinance and removing data centers from definitions and permit usage. They voted to remove data centers as a permitted use anywhere in the city and to remove any regulations regarding them because if they aren’t allowed, the city doesn’t need regulations for them.

Mayor Jake Ayers spoke briefly and said he thought the current proposed amendments, which are much stricter than the original UDO, should be taken before citizens at the scheduled November 16 Public Hearing. Councilman Michael Taylor stated he felt the Council should draft another version of the UDO without the data center regulations, like the Planning & Zoning Commission endorsed. He asked City Attorney Alex Dixon what the legalities are of saying “no” to data centers in the city. Dixon stated that either way the city votes in the future, whether to ultimately allow or deny data centers, there is a good possibility the city will be sued.

Councilman Jason Baswell stated that the Council had made the regulations strict enough. He said the Council had been working on the changes for eight months and felt what they had drafted was a good baseline of conditions which should proceed to the public hearing. Councilwoman Mandy Neese agreed with Baswell. She said what Hogansville plans to require is stronger than what most other cities have requested.

Councilman Mark Ayers stated he wants to go forward with the current draft of regulations. He was puzzled as to why the Planning & Zoning Commission passed less stringent regulations in the past but denied the current stricter draft. He said he had spoken with five other cities and Hogansville’s regulations are by far the most demanding. He feels the current regulations give the city the best guidelines to approve or deny a data center.

Councilwoman Kandis Strickland agreed with the Planning & Zoning Commission’s recommendation but worried about the legalities. She wanted to know what could be added to cover the zoning aspect of it. Dixon stated that she asked a good question, but it had a long answer. He said that if the Council chose to follow the commission’s recommendation, the city would need more time.

The Council then voted three (Baswell, Neese and Ayers) to two (Taylor and Strickland) to keep the current proposed amendments and present them at the Public Hearing at the Royal Theater on Monday November 16 at 6pm. The hearing is to receive public input on proposed amendments to the city’s UDO. These amendments include the creation of Heavily Industrial zoning districts, the adoption of standards and regulations for data center development and the establishment of procedures and requirements related to development of local impact.

In other business, the Council heard the first reading for the rezoning of the Hogansville Mill Project which would convert the old Uniroyal Mill into a mixed- use development with 120 residential units.