---
title: "OpenAI Data Center Plan Up for Vote Tuesday in Springfield"
url: https://www.heresavannah.com/2026/11/02/effingham-sets-tuesday-vote-on-openai-data-center-plan/
date: 2026-11-02T06:57:50-05:00
modified: 2026-11-02T06:57:50-05:00
author: "Jana Matthews"
categories: ["Business"]
site: "HERE Savannah"
attribution: "HERE Savannah"
---

# OpenAI Data Center Plan Up for Vote Tuesday in Springfield

> SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — Effingham County commissioners meeting in Springfield, Ga., are scheduled to decide Tuesday evening whether to approve site plans for Project Camellia, the large OpenAI data center proposed for the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub west of Savannah. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the county complex on North Laurel

*Source: [HERE Savannah](https://www.heresavannah.com/2026/11/02/effingham-sets-tuesday-vote-on-openai-data-center-plan/) — November 2, 2026 by Jana Matthews*

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — Effingham County commissioners meeting in Springfield, Ga., are scheduled to decide Tuesday evening whether to approve site plans for Project Camellia, the large OpenAI data center proposed for the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub west of Savannah.

The meeting starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the county complex on North Laurel Street in Springfield. The site plan comes up last in the Planning Board portion of the agenda, which begins at 6 p.m. With polls across Georgia open until 7 p.m., commissioners could act before Election Day voting ends. The item is not a formal public hearing, though residents may comment on any agenda item.

The vote was first set for September. Octans GA LLC, an OpenAI affiliate that filed the plan, asked for a delay, and the company said the extra time allowed a fuller review. The updated layout spans roughly 1,347 acres, with a warehouse, an operations building, substations and cooling equipment, along with more than 1,600 parking spaces. The company expects more than 1,000 jobs at the site.

Wetlands are the central issue. OpenAI says its layout leaves 70% of the property’s wetlands untouched, and the company is putting more than $20 million into mitigation through federally approved conservation banks. A separate federal permit request to fill 72 acres of wetlands is open for public comment until the day after the county vote.

County officials said a site plan approval would not let the developer fill wetlands or start any work requiring federal approval until the Army Corps signs off. They also said the Nov. 3 date is a regular meeting night and was not chosen because of the election.

A regional impact review has flagged possible effects on power, water and the environment, and a coastal environmental group has questioned how the site would get backup power. Three commissioners who will vote, Roger Burdette, Phil Kieffer and Jamie DeLoach, are also on Tuesday’s ballot facing opponents.