Effingham CountySaturday, November 7
Effingham commissioners delay the vote on OpenAI's data center site plan until Nov. 17
The Daily Savannah team
Effingham County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to table the site plan vote for OpenAI's $20 billion planned data center until Nov. 17. District 2 Commissioner Roger Burdette made the motion after the developer's representative, Rich Modliszewski of Octans GA LLC, first couldn't confirm a 20-foot dirt berm for noise, then said he could promise one.
Project Camellia would cover about 1,347 acres
Area of the proposed campus, beside places you know
1,019 football fields would fit inside the proposed campus
Sources: Statesboro Herald, WJCL
View as table
| Area | |
|---|---|
| The proposed campus | 1,347 acres (Project Camellia) |
| A football field | 1.3 acres (end zones included) |
Burdette wasn't satisfied. "If I can't get approval on some dirt tonight, then I can't stand behind this site plan," he said. County planning staff had recommended approval, and OpenAI told WJCL the board can defer a review and that it wants to "keep the project on schedule."
- Nov. 17: site plan returns; commissioners also discuss a moratorium
- Also up Nov. 17: changes to rules for future data centers
- Location: Effingham Parkway and Gateway Parkway
- Berm: no written commitment along Hodgeville Road in the plan
Residents filled the chamber on election night. Protect Effingham co-founder Anna Lee HeidtHarris said, "We definitely need more time."
The site plan packs in six data center buildings
- 6
- data center buildings in the site plan
- 1,600
- parking spaces planned
- 42 feet
- proposed building height in the revised plan
- 20 feet
- berm Burdette says he was told to expect
Source: Statesboro Herald
Sources: Statesboro Herald, WJCL