Effingham County Residents Sue Over Data Center Zoning Change
Three Effingham County residents have filed a lawsuit against the county, seeking to overturn a recent zoning change that permits data centers in industrial areas. The plaintiffs allege the county failed to follow proper public hearing procedures when approving the ordinance, which impacts proposed projects like OpenAI's Project Camellia. They argue the lack of public input violates state law and due process rights.
Three residents of Effingham County, Georgia, including Dr. Michelle Finch-Mincey, Lehman Mincey Jr., and Raymond Carver, have initiated a lawsuit to invalidate the county's recent zoning ordinance that permits data centers in industrial zones. Filed on September 2 in Effingham County Superior Court, the complaint challenges Ordinance 2026-352, which the county commissioners approved on August 4, alleging that the county failed to adhere to state law and its own zoning procedures.
The plaintiffs contend that the county did not hold the two required public hearings—one before the Planning Board and another before the County Commission—before approving the ordinance. This alleged procedural lapse, they argue, deprived residents of their right to public input on a significant zoning change that could affect property values, quality of life, and health, particularly for those living near proposed data center sites.
The lawsuit emerges just over a month after OpenAI announced its 'Project Camellia,' a proposed 1,400-acre data center campus in Effingham County, estimated to require up to 3.2 gigawatts of electricity. The plaintiffs' complaint suggests that the zoning change was enacted while county officials were secretly negotiating Project Camellia, with County Manager Tim Callanan allegedly signing a nondisclosure agreement with OpenAI OpCo LLC.
While the lawsuit primarily focuses on the county's procedural failures and does not seek to halt Project Camellia's construction directly, plaintiffs like Raymond Carver express concerns about the project's proximity to homes and an elementary school. The complaint also raises broader allegations of nontransparent negotiations, the weakening of the Planning Board's role, and potential conflicts of interest, arguing that the county's actions violated residents' due process rights.