Effingham CountyWednesday, November 4
Effingham commissioners postpone the OpenAI data center site plan vote over safety concerns
The Daily Savannah team
If you live near Rincon, the Project Camellia vote will have to wait. Effingham County commissioners postponed approval of OpenAI's data center site plan Tuesday night, asking for more on safety, including a 20-foot berm near Hodgeville Road. Commissioner Roger Burdette asked to table it until Nov. 17.
The plan covers about 1,347 acres in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, but had no written commitment to that berm. A representative of developer Octans GA said he could promise one, and Burdette said he still wants assurance.
The proposed data center campus covers about 1,347 acres
Area of the proposed campus, beside places you know
1,019 football fields would fit inside the proposed campus
Sources: effinghamherald.net, WTOC
View as table
| Area | |
|---|---|
| The proposed campus | 1,347 acres (Savannah Gateway Industrial) |
| A football field | 1.3 acres (end zones included) |
- Buildings: six data centers, each about 42 feet tall
- Buffer: 300 feet next to Agricultural-Residential properties
- Parking: 1,608 spaces across the campus
72 acresof wetlands a federal permit would let the site fill
Public comment on that federal permit closes Nov. 4.
Source: effinghamherald.net
Residents filled the chamber on election night, some wearing "No Data Center" stickers. The county has said approval would not let the developer fill wetlands before a federal permit is issued.
Sources: Savannah Morning News, effinghamherald.net, WTOC