CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A public hearing will play a part in the submission process for any future data centers proposed in Montgomery County under a new set of requirements being studied by the Regional Planning Commission.

The RPC shared the additional information Tuesday as they discussed the update to zoning regulations that aims to make sure any future data centers have restrictions on water use, electricity use and noise. No data centers are currently proposed in Montgomery County. Google has operated a large data center here since 2019.

Checklist for data center proposals

RPC Director Jeff Tyndall previously told Clarksville Now the Montgomery County Building and Codes Department proposed the update to the RPC because data centers are not currently addressed in county or city zoning.

“If this is well received, we can probably do something similar for the city,” Tyndall said at Tuesday’s RPC meeting. “We’ve added a definition for data centers; it’ll be permitted on review use in M-1 or M-2 (zoning classifications). Then the review will have seven checklists if you will.”

He said that list includes the site must be on a minimum of 10 acres, but not greater than 100 acres; setbacks for all zones, with the exception of M-1 or M-2, is 100 feet; a noise plan must be submitted showing the location extent of noise that would leave the property boundary; plus, a letter or study must be shown in regard to the water supply.

“If it’s getting water from a municipal source, we’d want a letter from the municipal source stating that they can or cannot service it,” Tyndall said. “If they are going to draw it from a surface water source, then we would want a study showing that the surface water can accommodate that.”

He also said feedback will likely be needed from TDEC or the EPA. Tyndall said for in regard to electricity and the natural gas supply, the RPC also wants data centers to submit written statements from the TVA and local utility providers.

Data centers responsible for infrastructure improvements

Tyndall said the owner/operator of any proposed or expanded data center project will be responsible for the cost of all infrastructure improvements necessary to provide utility services to the facility, which is in accordance with state law.

“It goes on to say that the utilities cannot then pass along those costs to the ratepayers,” he said. “I’m glad the state did that this past year. That’s a fairly new law that they put in to protect everybody.”

| MORE: Proposed zoning update would restrict future data centers on water, electric, noise

Proposed data centers would require public hearing

Tyndall said any future proposed data center projects would have to go before the Board of Zoning Appeals before making their way to the Planning Commission since it is permitted on review.

“The BZA would have to make sure they are meeting all seven of those items, as well as holding their own public hearing for the use before it comes to the Planning Commission,” he said.

During public comments on Tuesday, no one spoke in favor or against the zoning update, which was approved with one commissioner voting against. The zoning update will now go before the Montgomery County Commission.

RPC’s informal meeting: discussion over constant noise

At the RPC’s informal meeting on Friday, Tyndall told commissioners he met with the Land Regulation Advisory Committee last week on the subject of data centers.

“We originally came in with about a 500-foot setback from the data centers. They said, if you have a 500-foot-long by 500-foot-deep setback, you’re wasting 10 acres just to have a setback,” Tyndall said on Friday.

“The biggest complaint about data centers is the constant noise 24 hours a day. So, instead of a setback, we would require when they go to the Board of Zoning Appeals. … They have to have a noise plan showing that they do not exceed more than 3 decibels over the ambient noise of the area or 55 decibels at the adjoining property lines.”

Tyndall said that applies to properties that are not M-1 or M-2. “Industry against industry, you could be noisy, obviously,” he said. Appropriate grading, landscaping and site layout can also help reduce noise, Tyndall said.

“Any future data centers could build berms; they could put the compressors behind the building, or they could put them under a roof. There are things you can do to cut down on noise,” he said.

Zoning update to deter ‘hyper-scale’ centers

When asked how the updated zoning regulations would affect Google’s existing data center in Montgomery County, Tyndall said after that Google’s done building out, and they have their last building developed, they don’t plan on expanding any more for the time being.

Tyndall said the requirement that any data center site be a minimum of 10 acres, but not greater than 100 acres, should deter any “hyper-scale” center from developing in Montgomery County.

Patricia Galarza-Grillasca contributed to this report.

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