Knox County leaders are moving to put some tight new guardrails around future data centers. A draft zoning ordinance headed to the County Commission would clamp down on where these facilities can go and what they can look and sound like. The proposal caps buildings at 65 feet, requires a 300-foot buffer from homes and other "sensitive receptors," and adds rules on noise, appearance, and how facilities tap power and water. If adopted, the ordinance could reshape what developers can build and how utilities and planners manage high-power computing projects in the Knoxville area.
The measure appears on the county’s commission agenda as a first-reading ordinance to create an Article III titled "Data Centers," sponsored by Commissioner Matt Fox and deferred to May, according to the Knox County Commission. The agenda materials describe the move as a way to "define, add specific requirements, and provide limitations" for data centers and related accessory uses.
What the draft would require
Under the draft, developers would face a long list of design and operational rules: a 65-foot height cap, 300-foot setbacks from housing and other "sensitive receptors," new landscape and fencing requirements to screen the buildings, and a requirement that facades use Art Deco, Neoclassical or Greek Revival styles instead of plain warehouse designs. The proposal also sets noise limits: 67 dB(A) for daytime weekdays and 57 dB(A) at night and on weekends, along with pre-construction and six-month post-completion sound and vibration studies. The draft reportedly would also bar centers from tying into the public electric grid or drawing from public water systems, instead pushing for closed power and water systems and requiring Tennessee Valley Authority approval for very large water withdrawals, as reported by WVLT.
Why neighbors and planners care
Online market trackers and industry maps show multiple data center sites in and around the Knoxville market, and hyperscale builds can place heavy demands on local power and water infrastructure, according to Baxtel. County leaders say the rules are meant to keep industrial-scale warehouses from popping up in residential or scenic parts of the county while preserving infrastructure capacity for homes and farms.
What's next
The ordinance was listed for first reading and deferred to May, and the commission agenda indicates staff and the law director will have a chance to refine the metrics before any vote, as outlined by the Knox County Commission. Public hearings and the county’s zoning review process are expected to be where neighbors, utilities, and developers make their case.
Local questions and pushback to watch
Some provisions, especially the clauses that would forbid tying into the public grid and limit municipal water use, are unusual and could prompt technical, regulatory, or legal questions for utilities and developers. The draft’s TVA-approval thresholds and the water-use language are already flagged in local coverage as items likely to draw detailed scrutiny at upcoming meetings, according to WVLT.
