Athens City Council Sets April 27 Hearing on Data Center Zoning Change
Written by Brent Wilson on
March 31, 2026
The Athens City Council will hold a public hearing April 27 on a proposed amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance that would add data centers as a conditional use in the M-2, or heavy industrial, district.
The hearing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Athens City Hall, 200 W. Hobbs St., in the City Council chambers. City officials said anyone who wants to speak for or against the proposal may be heard at the meeting, and residents also may submit written comments to the city clerk before the hearing.
The proposal would change Table 5-4 of the Athens zoning ordinance. Under the amendment, a data center would not automatically be allowed across all heavy industrial property, but it could be considered in that zoning district through the city’s conditional-use process.
That process typically gives local officials a chance to review a proposed use on a case-by-case basis rather than permitting it outright wherever the zoning classification applies. In practice, that means the zoning district would allow the possibility of a data center, while the city would still decide whether a particular project meets local requirements.
Athens’ planning commission voted March 17 to recommend the amendment to the council for a public hearing and further consideration. The council is set to take up the matter after the hearing at the same meeting.
Public hearings are part of the normal process for changing a zoning ordinance. The planning commission first reviews the proposed change and sends a recommendation to the council, which has the final authority to adopt or reject the amendment.
The notice does not identify a specific project tied to the proposed ordinance change. Instead, the April 27 hearing concerns whether the city should revise its zoning rules to list data centers as a possible use in areas zoned for heavier industrial activity.
Heavy industrial zoning generally covers uses that need larger sites and separation from homes and other lower-intensity development. By placing data centers in that category as a conditional use, the city would be setting rules for where such facilities could be considered if an application is filed.
The city published notice of the hearing in the Athens News Courier on March 28 and again on April 4, satisfying the public notice step that comes before the council can act on a zoning amendment.
The April 27 hearing will give residents, property owners and businesses a chance to comment before the council decides whether to change the ordinance. If the council approves the amendment, data centers could then be considered as conditional uses in Athens’ M-2 district under the city’s zoning review process.
