JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WCYB) — A group of Johnson City residents launched multiplepetitions in opposition to Bitcoin mining as city commissioners consider zoning changes for them.
City leaders said the zoning changes are aimed at adding restrictions to future cryptocurrency mines, but residents are worried the conversation signals one may be coming.
Commissioners gave initial approval to zoning changes that would add data centers, including cryptocurrency mines, as a permitted use in the I-2 heavy industrial district.
READ THE PROPOSAL |Johnson City Zoning Code Amendment
“The noise, what it’s going to do to our property value,” resident Cathy Galyon said of the concerns. “Because we love our neighborhood. We feel like we have a nice quiet neighborhood, and we don’t want it to be ruined by this industry.”
The proposal comes as the March 28, 2026 deadline draws near for a cryptocurrency mine in Limestone to leave.
Residents there spent years fighting against the computer fan noise caused by the mine, which performs complex calculations to verify cryptocurrency transactions. That ended with Washington County, Tennessee suing the mine and its landlord, electric provider BrightRidge, to force a move.
PREVIOUS REPORTING | Washington County, Tennessee commissioners approve settlement between BrightRidge and Red Dog Technologies
Now BrightRidge has purchased land on Innovation Drive in Johnson City, leading people living nearby to assume the mine could move near them.
“It’s a lot of coincidences that suddenly when that lawsuit is over, BrightRidge is purchasing a parcel of land on an I-2, and suddenly the zoning for I-2 is considered for changes to welcome data centers and Bitcoin mining,” resident Sylvain Bruni said.
A BrightRidge spokesperson would not confirm or deny if the company is bringing a Bitcoin mine to the city.
“We do not have a comment at this time,” the spokesperson said.
READ MORE |Residents raise concern over potential Bitcoin mine in Mountain City
The Limestone mine’s parent company, CleanSpark, is also behind plans for a mine in Mountain City and said last summer it plans to quadruple its Tennessee operations by 2026.
CleanSpark did not respond to our request for comment by deadline.
City commissioners view the zoning proposal differently. They said at a meeting May 1 that state law does not allow them to ban a particular kind of business, but without specific rules, they said a mine could go most anywhere.
“I’m not particularly interested in Bitcoin coming to Johnson City,” commissioner Joe Wise said at the meeting. “I’m certainly not going to be recruiting it. However, what I want us to be in a position to do is to put some meaningful boundaries around it.”
Those boundaries include requirements that any mine would have to be in a closed building and have buffers between it and homes. Tighter rules for noise are also in the works.
Residents though are not convinced.
“We’re worried about the children,” Galyon said. “We’re worried about our property values. We’re worried about the environment and what it will do to the animals.”
The group in opposition to the changes is planning a community meeting at Ashley Academy May 13 at 6:30 p.m. Commissioners will vote again on May 15 and June 5 at 6 p.m.
A city spokesperson responded Thursday in a statement:
“‘Data centers and cryptocurrency mines’ are already allowed in I-2 and 14 other districts. Commission action did not create an allowance for these – they are already allowable. As a reminder, use of property is constitutionally protected which means we cannot ban block chain data processing centers from operating.
“What we can do is limit where they can operate and dictate what types of controls must be in place.
“The Commission is taking proactive steps to limit their location ONLY to I-2 and regulate what types of controls must be in place in order for them to operate (i.e. noise, environmental, etc.).
“The text amendment that is being considered is to better protect our residents.”