Effingham County to vote on OpenAI data center site plan
Effingham County commissioners are scheduled to vote on the site plan for OpenAI’s proposed Project Camellia data center campus near Rincon. The project faces resident opposition, unresolved lawsuits, environmental and water concerns, and calls for a development moratorium, although county staff recommends approval.
The Effingham County Board of Commissioners is set to vote on a formal site plan for Project Camellia, a proposed OpenAI data center campus spanning about 1,347 acres in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon. Developer Octans GA LLC, an OpenAI affiliate, submitted plans for six buildings with roadway access from Effingham Parkway, Gateway Parkway and Hodgeville Road.
The proposal has drawn months of resident protests, legal challenges and requests for a full development moratorium. County documents cite wetlands, floodplains, protected species and downstream water-resource concerns, while the plan includes vegetative buffers near residential and commercial properties. Despite the unresolved opposition and environmental issues, Effingham County planning staff concluded the application meets current I-1 industrial zoning standards and recommended approval.