The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, has voted to deny permission for a data center project.

At the Mayor and Commission Regular Session on October 7, the local government unanimously voted against a proposal to rezone 233 acres of farmland on Old Elberton Road from agricultural to industrial use.

This was intended to make way for a 2,000,000 sq ft (185,805 sqm) data center constituted by four buildings.

The proposal has faced opposition from officials and residents alike, with the county’s planning commission recommending denial for the proposal early in September. Residents expressed concern about the impact of a data center on the environment and the potential loss of rural environment.

The proposal was filed by attorney William Diehl on behalf of the property’s owner, FAE Clark LLC. The identity of the end-user is currently unknown.

Now Habersham also reports that some officials are floating a potential moratorium on new developments. Commissioner Melissa Link said: "I feel like we need to lay down a moratorium and learn everything we possibly can about this technology and about these facilities and all the impact they have on our communities.

“Let’s understand and develop some local rules and regulations that can at least give us some say.”

Moratoriums are a common tool used by local US authorities to give the county some time to regulate and consider existing and future data center projects. The city of Social Circle, which imposed a 90-day moratorium on new data center projects in mid-September, is one such example in Georgia.

Other authorities in other states have also passed moratoriums recently, including Oldham County, Kentucky, which instituted a 150-day moratorium in July.

Athens-Clarke County encompasses the city of Athens in northeast Georgia, which is located east of Atlanta, the state capital.