Statesboro City Council approves rezoning for data center amid protests

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - Statesboro City Council voted to approve a zoning map amendment that allows land previously zoned for residential development to be used for a data center.

Mayor Jonathan McCollar broke a tied vote to approve the rezoning.

Protesters react outside city hall

Hundreds of residents gathered inside and outside city hall urging elected officials to vote no.

When the vote was cast, the crowd inside city hall booed. Protesters outside chanted “Vote them out, vote them out.”

Protesters said they were disappointed but not surprised by the outcome of the vote.

Trayialia Prince, who opposes the data center, said trust in elected officials has been called into question.

“When we voted these elected officials in, it was supposed to be people over politics, but now the people don’t have a voice, and we’re tired of it,” Prince said.

Edith Gonzalez, who opposes the data center, said residents should have the final say.

“They may hold the seat, but we hold the power, they may cast the final vote, but the vote that they should be casting is our vote,” Gonzalez said.

The doors to city hall were closed before the city council meeting was called to order because the room was at capacity. Protesters holding signs filled the steps and sidewalk outside.

Ayah Favors, who opposes the data center, said she was struck by the range of people who turned out.

“To see everybody come out, different ages, cultures, ethnicities, and different political backgrounds and beliefs this is just amazing,” Favors said.

Organizer says voices were ignored

William McDaniel has spoken at meetings and helped organize protests against the proposed data center.

“The mayor, the city council they didn’t take any of that into consideration at all, I feel, I feel they didn’t take any of that into consideration because if they did they would have voted no,” McDaniel said.

Mayor says process continues

McCollar said Tuesday’s vote is not final approval. He said high levels of public participation are promising and said he continues to encourage it.

“This is not the end of this journey, we want them to continue to, you know, make sure their voices are heard. I’m going to get with staff to see what we can do about some public meetings so we can just kind of figure out exactly what this looks like,” McCollar said.

Developers from 4-AM Development declined to comment on the approval as they left city council. They said they will continue to be a visible presence at future meetings.

Bulloch County reviews data center ordinance

A temporary ban on data centers remains in place in Bulloch County. Leaders put the moratorium in place to give them a chance to do more research.

Commissioners reviewed a planning and zoning ordinance Wednesday morning. The ordinance breaks down possible data center regulations, addressing issues like noise and air quality, light pollution, and water usage.

The ordinance would also require developers to build in specific highway commercial areas with closed-loop water systems, 500-foot setbacks from homes, and annual noise testing.

Commissioners only reviewed the ordinance.