Resident urges clearer rules for data centers in Roswell zoning code

Scott Long, who said he submitted written material to the city, urged council and planning staff to clarify where data centers would be allowed in the updated Unified Development Code and to align those allowances with the comprehensive plan.

Long described prior planning-commission discussions about adding data-center uses to corridor-and-node districts (CC and CH) and employment districts (O and OP). He asked that the city consider whether to add such uses to Crossville Road and to ensure that the UDC does not create a mismatch between code and plan — for example, allowing a use in one commercial corridor while excluding similar state highways nearby.

"If you look at this, our data center uses, we are allowing them in the node districts on Hulcom Bridge but not Crossville," Long said, and urged conditional use and other safeguards where appropriate. He requested that staff and the commission consider adding CH back or otherwise aligning district language so that permitted locations follow the comp-plan policy intent.

No immediate policy decision was announced at the forum; Long's comments were recorded as public input to the planning process and will be part of the record for future hearings.