SAVANNAH, Ga. — Savannah City Council has two items on its plate Thursday that could shape how the city grows: a vote on a refreshed long-range land use plan and a discussion of how to regulate large data centers.
The day starts with an 11 a.m. work session at City Hall, where staff from the Metropolitan Planning Commission are scheduled to present the update. Development of a data center ordinance is also on the work session list and is expected to come up again when the full council meets at 2 p.m.
The document before council is a five-year refresh of the joint Chatham County and Savannah plan first adopted in 2021. It sets a framework for land use, housing, jobs, transportation and natural resources across the next two decades. Planning staff began work on the update in February 2025, and council agreed on June 25 to send the draft to regional and state reviewers.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs found on Oct. 14 that the update met the state’s minimum standards, while offering some advisory comments. Adoption matters beyond planning: the city needs it to keep its Qualified Local Government status, which is tied to eligibility for some state funding and permitting programs. Staff noted the action carries no cost.
Data centers have been on the council’s radar for weeks. In September, the council’s agenda included a public hearing on a temporary moratorium aimed at data centers drawing 10 megawatts or more of electricity, along with a ban on turning warehouses and industrial buildings of at least 200,000 square feet into data center space. No ordinance text was attached to Thursday’s discussion item.
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