Effingham County residents sue over zoning process tied to OpenAI data center Effingham County residents sue over zoning process tied to OpenAI data center Three Effingham County residents have filed a lawsuit challenging the county’s zoning process as plans move forward for OpenAI’s proposed $20 billion data center campus. Dr. Michelle Finch-Mincey, Lehman Mincey Jr. and Raymond Carver filed the complaint against Effingham County on Sept. 2 in Effingham County Superior Court. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and directly challenges a county zoning decision. According to the first page of the filing, the residents are not necessarily opposed to artificial intelligence data centers. Instead, they allege county officials failed to follow proper procedures when amending zoning rules. The plaintiffs accuse officials of ignoring county rules, violating laws, acting with conflicts of interest and holding private meetings. Those claims have not yet been decided by a judge. A summons gives Effingham County 30 days after being served to respond. OpenAI is not named as a defendant. The lawsuit follows weeks of public debate over Project Camellia, OpenAI’s proposed data center campus at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub. WJCL reported that the development would cover more than 1,400 acres and require an estimated 3,200 megawatts of electricity. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 and continue through 2032. County leaders have promoted the project as a major…
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