Savannah’s pause on large-scale data centers is set to end Jan. 29, 2027, and residents have until Nov. 20 to weigh in on what comes next. Under the draft rules, data centers would be allowed only in industrial districts, with a special use permit, and at least 1,000 feet from homes and schools.
“Savannah must be prepared to understand what our infrastructure can and cannot accommodate, where the line exists between community benefit and community harm, and what is best for each of our neighborhoods,” Mayor Van R. Johnson II said.
City Council adopted the 155-day pause on Aug. 27, and the city says it can be extended by up to 30 days if the process needs more time. Comments go through a survey at savannahga.gov/datacenters.
The 1,000-foot rule would also cover parks, places of worship, libraries, childcare centers and health care facilities. The special use permit requires public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council. The amendment would define data centers as a land use, and the city is working on it with the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission and Chatham County.
The city says the draft would also cover:
- Contributions major data centers could be required to make, such as infrastructure upgrades or reinvestment
- Electricity use and limits on generators
- Water use, cooling technology and wastewater discharge
- Noise and buffer rules
- Fire department review of fire protection and emergency plans
- Plans for removing equipment and handling hazardous materials
- Building height and landscaping
Small, low-impact facilities would get modified rules.
The city plans to post the draft ordinance in November. Its data center page lists a planning commission hearing on Dec. 15, a City Council hearing on Jan. 14 and a vote on Jan. 28, the day before the pause ends, and says those dates are not final until they are scheduled.