Montgomery County commissioners voted on Oct. 19 to put tight zoning limits on any future data center in the Clarksville, Tennessee, area, and then made them tighter. The commission raised the minimum setback from homes from 100 feet to 500 feet before passing the rules 17-4, Clarksville Now reported.
Because the commission changed the resolution, it goes back to the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission for a second look before a final county vote next month. Commissioners LaTonia Brown, Lekeshia Hicks, Jeremiah Walker and Carmelle Chandler voted no.
What the zoning rules say
The resolution on the commission's October agenda amends the county zoning resolution "as it Pertains to Data Centers and Power Plants." Data centers would be allowed only in the industrial M-1 and M-2 zones, and only as a use that needs extra review, FOX 17 reported when the planning commission first approved the rules in September. Applicants would go to the Board of Zoning Appeals with a checklist:
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- a site of at least 10 acres and no more than 100
- a 500-foot setback from homes, and a 100-foot setback from other zones outside M1 and M2
- a noise plan showing sound no more than 3 decibels over ambient levels, and no more than 55 decibels next to land not zoned industrial
- letters from the water, power and gas providers confirming they can serve the site
- the developer pays for any utility lines and upgrades the site needs
A fairly new state law already requires data centers that need 50 megawatts or more to make their own power or buy it from an independent producer, according to Clarksville Now's explainer.
The setback fight
The bigger setback came from Commissioner Joshua Beal, who said 100 feet from homes was not enough and first asked for 1,000 feet. Commissioners settled on 500. Beal also raised light pollution and enforcement. "This resolution doesn't talk about that at all," he said.
Regional Planning Commission Director Jeff Tyndall called the rules "definitely stopgaps" and said they can be adjusted.
Moratorium calls
Two residents asked the commission to go further and pass a moratorium. The commission discussed one and a delay of the vote but approved neither.
An outright ban would probably not survive a lawsuit under Tennessee's property rights laws, Clarksville Now's explainer noted, citing an attorney and Tyndall; zoning limits aimed at specific concerns are the route the county chose. There are no data center proposals under consideration in Montgomery County, according to Clarksville Now. The county's one existing data center, the Google facility, opened in 2019.
What's next
The rules return to the Regional Planning Commission, then to the county commission in November. If they hold up, the planning commission plans to bring similar rules to the Clarksville City Council for land inside city limits.
Sources
- Montgomery County OKs tight limits on future data center setbacks, noise, water/power use, Clarksville Now
- Can Montgomery County ban data centers? 5 things to know, Clarksville Now
- Montgomery County advances new rules for future data centers, FOX 17 News
- Board of Commissioners agenda, October 19, 2026, Montgomery County
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