Wilson County may be the next county in Tennessee to establish zoning regulations for data centers.
On Monday, at its county commission meeting, Commissioner Lauren Breeze said that she was working on introducing an amendment to regulate data centers in Wilson County.
She said the amendment would require “specific zoning and a special-use permit” for potential data centers in Wilson County.
Breeze (pictured above) noted she is working with Wilson County Planning Director Christopher Lawless on the details of the amendment.
Wilson County did not have regulations for data centers, Breeze explained.
“While data centers are high-value investments, they are also resource hogs for electricity, water and wastewater,” she said.
The amendment will require an impact study and approval from local utility providers, confirming that the additional resources will not harm current customers and will prevent rate increases, according to Breeze.
The Wilson County Planning and Zoning Committee meeting will consider the zoning amendment on June 22nd, Breeze said.
She noted she hoped the committee would pass the amendment that night so the county commission could vote on it in August.
The county commissioner said she has “watched” the Metro Council deal with a proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo.
The Nashville Zoo launched an online petition opposing the data center. It has nearly 460,000 signatures.
Breeze said she wants to “avoid” this situation in Wilson County.
Commissioner Haskell Evans said the county needs to “get in front” of data centers rather than “catch up after the fact.”
Over the last several weeks, local governments in Tennessee have taken steps to regulate data centers. In Davidson County, the Metro departments are working to develop data center regulations.
Coffee County, in Central Tennessee, passed a resolution banning data centers for one year. Also, the Knox County Commission is considering a ban on data center construction until June 30th, 2027.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
