South Fulton County

Data center moratorium approved by metro Atlanta City in special meeting

The city plans to shore up its zoning laws during the 90-day moratorium

By Kimberly Wright, WSBTV.com
Behind The Scenes At CERN The World's Largest Particle Physics Laboratory MEYRIN, SWITZERLAND - APRIL 19: A detailed view in the CERN Computer / Data Centre and server farm of the 1450 m2 main room during a behind the scenes tour at CERN, the World's Largest Particle Physics Laboratory on April 19, 2017 in Meyrin, Switzerland. Experiments at CERN generate colossal amounts of data (the LHC experiments produce over 30 petabytes of data per year). The Data Centre stores it, and sends it around the world for analysis. Archiving the vast quantities of data is an essential function at CERN. CERN has more than 130 Petabytes of stored data (the equivalent of 700 years of full HD-quality movies). CERN does not have the computing or financial resources to crunch all of the data on site, so in 2002 it turned to grid computing to share the burden with computer centres around the world. The centre maintains disk and tape servers, which need to be upgraded regularly. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
By Kimberly Wright, WSBTV.com

FOREST PARK, Ga. — The city of Forest Park approved a data center application moratorium to give them time to adjust their zoning laws.

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The city council approved a 90-day pause in a special called meeting on Monday, Javon Anthony Lloyd, the city’s public information officer, told Channel 2 Action News.

The zoning laws currently permit companies to build data centers “by right,” city manager Carl Geffken said.

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The current zoning laws allowed Digital Realty to build a new data center in Forest Park.

The Digital Realty data center site at the former Fort Gillem Army base is expected to open in early 2028 and cover 97 acres, according to the company. Digital Realty touted the economic benefits of the development and said they are investing in environmental remediation.

Forest Park planned zoning changes are expected to include definitions of and regulations for data centers, guidelines about where they can be located and buffers to prevent them from being close to homes, said SaVaughn Irons-Kumassah, of the city’s planning and community development department.

The city also plans to define the types of data centers and outline provisions to hold companies accountable if they decide to leave later, Irons-Kumassah said.

Residents across metro Atlanta have expressed concerns about the construction data centers. As a result, some metro Atlanta counties have decided to pause consideration of new data center applications, including DeKalb, Cobb and Cherokee County.

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