SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – Three Effingham County residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the county's recent zoning change that cleared the way for data centers to be built in industrial areas – including the type of development proposed for OpenAI's Project Camellia. The complaint, filed Sept. 2 in Effingham County Superior Court, challenges Ordinance 2026-352, which county commissioners gave final approval Aug. 4. The lawsuit asks a Superior Court judge to throw out the ordinance and stop Effingham County from using it unless the required zoning procedures are followed. Plaintiffs Dr. Michelle Finch-Mincey, Lehman Mincey Jr. and Raymond Carver say the county failed to follow state law and its own zoning rules when it approved the ordinance without the public hearings they say were required. The complaint was filed on their behalf by Savannah attorneysE. Gregory Gilluly Jr. and Brent J. Savage. The lawsuit does not ask the court to stop Project Camellia or halt construction of the proposed data center. Effingham County had not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. The Effingham Herald has reached out to the county for comment and is awaiting a response. The lawsuit centers on how the county approved the zoning change. Ordinance 2026-352 changed the county's zoning rules to allow data centers to be built on property already zoned for industrial use. According to the complaint, the county's zoning ordinance requires two public hearings before action can be taken on a…
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