JC commissioners considering contract for noise study in response to data centers

Johnson City commissioners will consider a $96,880 contract for a noise and vibration study aimed at getting information to help the city revise its noise and zoning ordinances in a way that protects citizens from new industries, primarily data centers. That request went out after the commission received concerns from the public over a potential Bitcoin mine near a BrightRidge substation in south Johnson City. Citizens expressed concern about the potential for high levels of noise and vibration, several years after noise complaints about the area’s first Bitcoin mine opened in rural Limestone in Washington County. Legal businesses can’t be prohibited within a city or county, so city commissioners placed a moratorium on any new businesses in the I-2 heavy industrial zone to allow time for development of stricter regulations around noise levels. The goal is for proposed changes to be presented to the City Commission by late spring which would allow for final approval before the current moratorium expires June 4.