Last year, the Atlanta City Council banned new data centers within a half-mile of the Beltline and within a half-mile of MARTA stations, hoping to prevent data centers from gobbling up prime real estate that could otherwise be filled with affordable housing, green space or other quality-of-life investments.

Atlanta officials are now pursuing additional restrictions on data centers.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports anyone applying for a permit would be required to submit information about their project’s impact on natural resources and the environment, including a water consumption plan, water conservation and sustainability plan, energy consumption plan, transmission line impact assessment, tree preservation and reforestation plan, and a stormwater management plan.

Data centers are viewed as essential infrastructure for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other digital capabilities. However, they tend to provide local communities with few permanent jobs, and they consume ample amounts of land, water and electricity.

Register Today to “Be in the Room” when Michael Brennan receives Connect CRE’s Lifetime Achievement Award and will participate in the Keynote Interview with Kevin Brennan, also of Brennan Investment Group. Join us at Connect Industrial Midwest 2025 on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 5, at Joe’s Live in Rosemont, IL, for this exclusive presentation!