Residents and commissioners urge study of zoning to address quarries and data centers

Public comment and commissioner discussion focused on a perceived gap in DeKalb County's ability to regulate new industrial uses such as rock quarries and data centers in rural areas.

One resident described dust and blasting concerns from nearby quarry activity and said, "we have no rules and regulations to govern anything that wants to come in." Multiple commissioners and commenters agreed the county needs to explore zoning options and public outreach before acting. A commissioner explained that such a study could take up to a year because of required research and a series of public hearings: "Tommy Lee, our state planner, had said that it can take up to a year to actually do this adequately. And the reason it takes a year is not just to research ... there's a multitude of public hearings that have to happen before you can pass it on."

Commissioners discussed alternatives, including zoning businesses rather than zoning people and creating industrial overlays that confine certain uses to specified sections of the county. One commissioner noted legal limits and cautioned that some previous local acts had weak enforceability: "Those are probably about as useful as the County Powers Act. If somebody tested it in court, it would probably fail. But zoning won't."

A motion was requested to add the issue to the upcoming Monday agenda and to send a recommendation to the planning commission for further study and refinement of maps and overlays. Commissioners also said they wanted input from the state planner and the regional planning office before making a final decision. The planning commission was described as a citizen‑majority board that would hold public hearings and refine any proposed overlays.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to include the item on the next meeting agenda for discussion and to direct the planning commission and Tommy Lee to investigate zoning options and public hearing requirements. No final policy change was adopted in the recorded segments.