Effingham Co. manager speaks on data center concerns
Hundreds of residents in Effingham County, Georgia, protested a proposed $20 billion data center by OpenAI, demanding transparency from county leaders about the project. County Manager Tim Callanan explained that the chosen site at Savannah Gateway Industrial Park was zoned for industrial use decades ago, meaning public input was not legally required for this specific development.
Hundreds of residents packed an OpenAI open house in Effingham County, Georgia, to protest a proposed $20 billion data center and demand transparency from county leaders. Protesters expressed feeling "blindsided" by the announcement and called for a "complete revocation of this proposed data center.
WTOC's Steven Glover interviewed Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan, who acknowledged that people's concerns were legitimate, stemming from past developments. Callanan explained that the site for OpenAI's data center, located within Savannah Gateway Industrial Park, was developed and zoned for industrial use two decades ago. Under existing regulations, public input is typically only required during rezonings, and in this case, the land was already appropriately zoned, which is why a separate public notification for this specific project was not required.