More than 70 Cobb County residents packed Gritters Library in East Cobb on Monday, Aug. 31, to press state legislators on data centers, housing costs, childcare and healthcare.

The event was a stop on the Georgia House Democratic Caucus's statewide "Georgia Must Be Affordable" tour. State Rep. David Wilkerson, a Powder Springs Democrat who represents House District 38, organized the forum with fellow caucus members, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

Data centers were among the concerns residents raised. Cobb County has been working on data center regulations since February.

The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 11 to extend a moratorium on new data center developments for another six months, the Marietta Daily Journal reported. Under the county's 1972 zoning code, data centers had no specific classification and were allowed by right in light industrial and heavy industrial zones, according to East Cobb News. No data centers have been formally proposed in unincorporated Cobb County.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell told the Marietta Daily Journal after the Aug. 11 vote that the county is developing a special land use permit process. Each proposed data center would come before the commission for individual review. "If [data center developers] apply and go through the process, the public gets input and we can add additional stipulations," Birrell said.

Commissioner Erick Allen told the Marietta Daily Journal after the Aug. 11 vote that more work was needed on the proposed code amendments before the moratorium could be lifted. Birrell said in August that the commission hopes to hold hearings on the amendments in late fall and pass them before the moratorium expires.

Marietta imposed its own six-month data center moratorium in July after residents opposed a proposed facility off Delk Road near Interstate 75. Kennesaw is also considering a 12-month moratorium, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

No specific legislative proposals or follow-up dates were announced at the Gritters Library town hall. The county's data center moratorium expires Feb. 24, 2027, with code amendment hearings expected before then.