The Economic Development Authority of Columbia County (EDACC) confirmed during its monthly meeting, Wednesday morning, that Trammell Crow Company, the Dallas real estate developer that aims to build a data center in Appling, will seek to rezone the subject property to the county’s new Data Center (D-C) zoning.
EDACC Executive Director Cheney Eldridge told board members that she received an email from Trammell Crow confirming that the company will, in fact, be applying to rezone the 1,900 acres along I-20 and Morris Callaway Road, owned by EDACC, from Special (S-1) to D-C, provided that the BOC approves text amendment establishing the new zoning classification.
Just the night before the Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved the first draft of the amendment. The BOC expressed its desire to Trammell Crow that EDACC’s Appling property be rezoned to the new classification, according to a statement issued by Chairman Doug Duncan.
Eldridge also noted during the meeting that EDACC and the developer are aiming for the data center development to use a closed-loop system to mitigate water usage. She then reiterated, as commissioners had the previous night, “that all of the infrastructure improvements will be funded by either the developer or the end user,” and that the county would bear no financial responsibility for those costs.
Eldridge mentioned, as well, that the proposed new D-C classification forbids the use of wells in the development or use of data storage facilities. The discussion would shift to whether permits issued by the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (EPD) could override county ordinances against drilling wells, an issue raised during Tuesday night’s meeting.
County attorney Chris Driver noted that the relevant laws are complicated, and that it is sometimes the case that more restrictive local laws would give way to more permissive state law, but “that is not the case here.”
“At least from what I was able to see, they have not indicated that they are preempting any more stringent standards from the county,” said Driver, later explaining “the state actually gives deference to the county for protecting its watersheds.”
Trammell Crow is slated to submit its rezoning application to the county on Dec. 5, Eldridge said, “with the caveat that the new zoning designation has to pass for that zoning to be granted.” The Planning Commission is to consider the rezoning request on Jan. 15, and the BOC is to vote on it on Feb. 3.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
