About 40 Augusta residents attended a Planning and Development-led public meeting this week to provide feedback on a draft ordinance that would govern future data center development in Augusta.
Data centers are facilities that house computer servers and provide the computing power needed for artificial intelligence, or AI. Augusta officials are considering a data center ordinance to establish guidelines for future development and address potential impacts on nearby residents.
The meeting, led by Planning and Development Director Adleasia Cameron, was held at the Robert Howard Community Center in Hephzibah.
Attendees received an overview of different types of data centers, including examples of facility sizes, hypothetical site designs, proposed
zoning and land-use considerations, and the top concerns identified through community feedback.
"This is a platform for people to be heard, and for many of them, that's the concern," Cameron said. "I want them to be informed. Based on the information we collected from our community, there were some resounding concerns."
Cameron said those concerns centered on zoning and land use, setbacks and buffers, noise and vibration, water supply, infrastructure demands, and environmental impacts.
"We took all of that into consideration, and we looked at site planning and zoning because, when it boils down to it, you have to consider where a facility will be located and where it will be permitted," she said.
Gayla Keesee, co-president of the League of Women Voters of the CSRA, expressed concerns about the potential noise impacts from data centers and said residents were seeking more direct answers from officials.
"There's a difference between a government meeting, a public meeting and a presentation, and we're morphing those things," Keesee said. "The purpose of this meeting is to answer questions. There were no answers."
According to Planning and Development officials, the draft ordinance is intended to guide future data center development while protecting community interests, supporting responsible growth and promoting the health, safety and welfare of Augusta residents.
The proposed ordinance includes standards for:
- Appropriate zoning districts for data center development.
- Minimum setbacks and buffers from residential neighborhoods and sensitive land uses.
- Site design, landscaping, and architectural compatibility.
- Noise, lighting, and visual impact mitigation.
- Utility coordination and infrastructure capacity.
- Emergency access and public safety requirements.
- Environmental performance and stormwater management.
- Ongoing operational standards and compliance monitoring.
Tameka Allen, Augusta's city administrator, said officials want residents to know their concerns are being considered as the ordinance moves forward.
"I want the takeaway to be that they know they are being heard," Allen said. "We're listening to what they're saying. We're trying to make sure those issues are brought before our governing body as part of our recommendations."
Allen said the purpose of the meetings is to ensure residents have an opportunity to share their views before any decisions are made.
"We're not just going out here to put on a dog-and-pony show," she said. "We're truly here to listen to what constituents have to say, which is the reason for these meetings. We're doing everything we can to make sure they know they are important."
The final public meeting on the proposed ordinance will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Warren Road Community Center, 300 Warren Road in Augusta.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@usatodayco.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta residents raise questions about future data center development
