CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Montgomery County leaders are considering new zoning regulations for data centers after a major technology company recently explored building a large facility in the county before the project ultimately didn't move forward.
WATCH: Montgomery County proposes first data center-specific zoning rules
Planning officials say the experience prompted them to examine whether the county's existing zoning rules adequately address the rapidly growing industry. The proposed changes would create Montgomery County's first zoning classification specifically tailored to data centers.
"We felt that now was the time," Jeff Tyndall, director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission, said.
According to Tyndall, data centers can provide significant tax revenue but generally do not create as many jobs as other large developments.
The proposed zoning amendment would formally define what qualifies as a data center and establish new development standards for future projects. Under the proposal, data centers would be allowed through a review process in industrial zoning districts and would be subject to additional requirements.
Among the proposed standards:
- Data center sites would be required to contain at least 10 acres but no more than 100 acres.
- Developers would have to submit a noise mitigation plan. Noise at neighboring property lines could not exceed specified limits.
- Applicants would be required to identify water sources and expected water consumption.
- Electric and natural gas providers would have to confirm that adequate utility capacity is available or planned for the project.
"We're looking at minimum sites between 10 and 100 acres. A noise plan, because in our research, that seems to be the largest complaint," Tyndall said.
Planners are also seeking assurances that utility demands are addressed early in the process. "We want to make sure our gas, electric and water availability is documented on the front end and not an afterthought," Tyndall said.
Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden supports the proposed changes. "They do take a lot of resources," Golden said in an interview Friday.
When asked whether he would have concerns about another large data center locating in Montgomery County, Golden pointed to the significant utility demands such facilities can place on a community. "I would have concerns because of the amount of resources," Golden said. "Being that we already have a data center here, and we understand the amount of resources that goes to it."
Montgomery County is already home to Google's data center, a roughly 400-acre site that has operated since 2019 after the company redeveloped property previously purchased for the now-abandoned Hemlock Semiconductor project. The facility was celebrated by local and state leaders when it opened, and it has largely avoided the kind of public controversy that some newer data center projects have faced elsewhere.
"It's got a lot of buffer from the community around there. It's kind of set out of the way, and that one doesn't seem to bother anybody," Tyndall said.
Under the proposal, the new rules would not affect Google's existing operations. "Nothing planning does can be retroactive," Tyndall said.
However, Tyndall said any future expansion of the Google facility would be subject to the new regulations if they are adopted.
While Tyndall said he is not opposed to smaller, less resource-intensive data centers, he believes Montgomery County may not currently have the infrastructure necessary to support another facility on the scale of Google's operation. "I don't think at this point our community would have the water infrastructure to support another site the size of Google," Tyndall said.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission has approved the proposed zoning amendment and forwarded it to the Montgomery County Commission. Commissioners are expected to consider the proposal at their next formal meeting. If approved, the amendment would become part of the county's zoning resolution.
Tyndall is considering doing the same for the City of Clarksville's zoning laws.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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