|
Today’s word is: MORATORIUM A decision to pause something for a suggested amount of time. In this case – data centers. Also, a word that has become pretty popular for local governments, and a desire for some citizens. Shelby County instilled one. Memphis had the Melee on Mid-America Mall before starting the process for the city. Millington approved a moratorium within its border this week. Residents of Walls, Mississippi, have voiced their opposition to data centers enough that a moratorium in the DeSoto County town seems it would be something they would like to see. Olive Branch recently took steps to prevent the issues by adding restrictions specifically for data centers, such as noise caps, to the city’s zoning language. The suburban staff wrote this week about two of the incorporated areas wanting the stoppage. Reporter Aarron Fleming traveled to Walls for a public session on what is destined for a chunk of land near U.S. 61 just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi border. Former suburban reporter Brandon LaGrone II provided us an assist by writing about Millington approving a moratorium in the northern Shelby County city. Millington decided to delay data center development for six months. City Manager Frankie Dakin emphasized that there are no data center applications before Millington. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s approval was more of a pre-emptive move. “We didn’t want to wait to deal with it,” Dakin said. Put in the moratorium before someone thinks about building a data center while officials study the zoning and other regulations. That’s a step that opponents in Walls seem to be seeking, but there is no decision on any type of moratorium. Applicants down there have said there is no end-user destined for the more than 1,000-acre site. They just want the proper zoning on the property to market it to potential users. A vocal segment of Walls – based on Fleming’s story this week – expressed their opposition to anything that will allow zoning that could lead to an applicant seeking something like a data center. The interesting question now is will other municipalities follow suit. Collierville? Arlington? Lakeland? Bartlett? Germantown? Well, not Germantown. Germantown has a few bigger open tracts, but the suburb doesn’t have industrial zoning, so as of now, that seems to be a non-starter. And the next crossroads will be at the end of the moratorium. What happens after six months to a year? Does the government entity work out the questions? Do they craft the zoning language to accomplish their goal? Do they extend the moratorium again to further study the issue? Various cities have installed moratoriums for various reasons aimed at apartments, gas stations, vape shops and types of zoning. While the discussion of data centers is delayed in places for now, the issue certainly seems like it will arise again. When the moratorium runs out. - Suburbs editor Clay Bailey
We hope you enjoy reading the latest news from our suburban reporters. If you’re a Daily Memphian subscriber, we appreciate your support. If not, please sign up for unlimited access to all of our local news coverage.
By Aarron Fleming
..... |
