The DeKalb County Commission denied proposed land-use and zoning regulations for data centers at its June 23 meeting.
After an initial vote to defer Tuesday afternoon, a motion to reconsider the ordinance was made and commissioners ultimately rejected the measure. The vote leaves DeKalb without specific regulations governing the growing data center industry.
Data centers have become a contentious land-use issue across metro Atlanta as major tech companies seek locations for server farms. The facilities require significant power infrastructure and generate concerns about water usage and noise.
Decatur and surrounding DeKalb communities have watched the data center debate closely. Several proposals in recent years have drawn neighborhood opposition.
Without updated regulations, data center developers will continue operating under existing zoning categories that weren't designed with the industry in mind.