Effingham Planning Board Resignations Raise Data Center Questions

Two Effingham County Planning Board members, Neal Kessler and Lyndsay Smith, resigned this summer, citing concerns about a lack of transparency and communication regarding a proposed OpenAI data center in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub.

Kessler, a retired CPA and Springfield resident, stated he learned about the data center only after its public announcement, despite serving on the county's advisory board for land-use and zoning. He emphasized that while no one was legally required to inform him, planning board members should have had prior knowledge to effectively fulfill their advisory roles. Smith, an Effingham County Realtor, initially submitted a general resignation letter but later clarified on Facebook that she resigned because she was unaware of the planned data center.

Smith also served on the Development Services Steering Committee, which reviewed the county's zoning districts and permitted uses. She contends that data centers were never discussed during committee meetings, despite county records showing she received emails with the updated Table of Permitted Uses that included data centers in heavy industrial zoning. Commissioner Phil Kieffer, who nominated Smith, maintains that the information was provided.

The resignations have brought attention to the process through which data centers were allowed in heavy industrial zones. The County Commission is now reviewing proposed changes to data center regulations covering aspects like location, noise, lighting, buffers, and water demand.