RICHMOND HILL, Ga. — Any company seeking to build a large-scale data center in Richmond Hill would first need the city to rewrite its zoning ordinance.
Data centers are not included among the permitted uses listed in Richmond Hill’s Unified Development Ordinance.
Because the city cannot issue a special-use permit for an unlisted use, officials say the facilities are currently prohibited.
Planning and Zoning Director Brian Crooks said the city has not received a data center proposal or heard from a developer interested in bringing one to Richmond Hill. City staff is also not recommending that the ordinance be changed to allow them.
The subject appeared during the Richmond Hill Planning Commission’s May 11 meeting while officials discussed possible revisions to the development ordinance.
The official meeting minutes state that the city could eventually examine restrictions for certain proposed uses, using data centers as an example.
The minutes also note that Richmond Hill’s current water capacity would make such a development unfeasible.
No zoning request involving a data center was before the commission, and no action was taken.
City Clerk Dawnne Greene clarified that officials were not reviewing a data center ordinance or responding to a proposed development.
The facilities were mentioned only as an example of a land use the city could examine in the future.
While the city’s current development ordinance prevents a data center from moving forward, the restriction is not necessarily permanent.
City Council could amend the ordinance later if elected officials decided to consider allowing the facilities.
That process would require a publicly advertised hearing, two readings before City Council and a final vote to approve or reject the amendment.
Until such a change occurs, a data center project cannot be approved within the city.
The clarification comes as data center development accelerates across Georgia. Cleanview’s August 2026 figures list 43 operating data centers and 134 planned projects statewide.
One of the largest announced projects is OpenAI’s Project Camellia in nearby Effingham County. The $20 billion campus is planned for more than 1,400 acres and is expected to begin operating in phases in 2028.
OpenAI says the project will use 3.2 gigawatts of power when fully developed and rely on a closed-loop cooling system to limit ongoing water consumption.
Project officials also expect it to create construction and permanent jobs.
For now, Richmond Hill officials say there is no pending data center proposal, no requested zoning change and no recommendation from city staff to open the city to such developments.
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