EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. — Three Effingham County residents filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a zoning change they say was improperly approved and helped clear the way for OpenAI’s planned $20 billion data center campus near Rincon.
Dr. Michelle Finch-Mincey, Lehman Mincey Jr. and Raymond Carver filed the civil complaint in Effingham County Superior Court. Effingham County is the only defendant named in the case.
The lawsuit challenges Ordinance 2026-352, which amended the county’s Permitted Use Table and allowed data centers on industrially zoned property without requiring a conditional-use permit.
The plaintiffs allege county commissioners approved the change without holding public hearings required under Georgia law and Effingham County’s own zoning rules. According to the complaint, the process should have included a hearing before the county Planning Board and another before the Board of Commissioners.
The corrected Permitted Use Table received its first reading on Dec. 16, 2025, and its second and final reading on Aug. 4, 2026. The lawsuit claims no required zoning hearings were held during that period.
Without the change, the plaintiffs argue, a data center proposed for I-1 industrial property would have required a conditional-use permit and a public hearing. They contend the new ordinance expanded the ability to construct data centers on industrial properties throughout the county.
The complaint also alleges county officials discussed zoning revisions during an October 2024 retreat without giving the public adequate notice. It further challenges the county’s use of a steering committee to review zoning changes, claiming the committee did not have authority under the county ordinance.
The lawsuit does not directly seek damages from OpenAI or name the company as a defendant. Instead, it asks a judge to declare Ordinance 2026-352 invalid and prevent the county from relying on it until all required public-hearing procedures are completed.
The disputed ordinance is connected to Project Camellia, OpenAI’s proposed data center campus at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub. The roughly 1,400-acre development is planned in five phases and would represent a minimum investment of $20 billion.
Effingham County officials maintain that Project Camellia has only met the initial requirements needed to move forward. The project must still complete additional county and state reviews involving stormwater, wetlands, utilities, water and sewer service, buffers, building requirements and fire safety, according to the county’s “official project information” (https://www.effinghamsheriff.org/902/Project-Camellia-OpenAI-Data-Center).
No judge has ruled on the residents’ allegations, and the filing does not establish that Effingham County violated state law or its own ordinances. The county had not filed a public response to the lawsuit as of Thursday.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
Update: Effingham County hires firm for Project Camellia oversight
Oct 23, 2026
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