4 data center projects in Unincorporated Columbia County
Who decides here: the Columbia County Board of Commissioners decides on zoning for land outside city and town limits.
In Unincorporated Columbia County
White Oak Technology Park (Appling)
Unincorporated Columbia County, Columbia County
2,862 acres
🕒 May 5, 2026: A mass grading permit (Project JGK, about 1,100 acres disturbed) was filed for state reg…
Approved, not built yetPumpkin Technology Campus (Pumpkin Center, Harlem)
Unincorporated Columbia County, Columbia County
🕒 Feb 3, 2026: County commissioners approved the rezoning 4-1, raising buffers from 250 to 500 feet and…
ProposedProject Squash data center (Wrightsboro Road, Harlem)
Unincorporated Columbia County, Columbia County
325 acres
🕒 Aug 2026: Columbia County's development authority approved a $17 billion+ agreement with Kinetic I…
Stopped or cancelledByrd Farms Technology Campus
Unincorporated Columbia County, Columbia County
944 acres
🕒 Feb 3, 2026: Commissioners denied the rezoning 4-1; the chairman said no end user could be found.
Nearby (within 15 miles)
Local votes and rules
🗳️ Public vote
Columbia County voters will decide in November 2026 whether the county can use a fund, allowed by House Bill 439, to give homeowners property tax credits paid for by the Google data center campuses. County leaders say credits could start in 2027.
🤝 Agreement with the company
Columbia County's development authority approved a deal with Kinetic Infrastructure Solutions, a Google (Alphabet) company, for a data center investment of at least $17 billion. County leaders say they want data center money to end the county's share of homeowner property taxes.
⚖️ Court case
A resident filed two court petitions challenging Columbia County's rezonings for the White Oak and Pumpkin Center data center projects. He says the county approved them without checking water and sewer capacity, used an old traffic study, skipped a full regional review and did not properly notify the school district.
🗺️ Zoning change
Columbia County commissioners approved rezonings for two data center sites: Pumpkin Technology Campus near Harlem and White Oak Technology Park near Appling. They denied a third, Byrd Farm, by a 4-1 vote. Developers still need site plans, grading permits and a letter from Georgia Power showing it can supply the power.
📜 Data center rules
Columbia County has a special Data Center zoning district. The county development authority calls it one of the strictest in Georgia. It requires 500-foot buffers from homes, a 65-decibel noise limit, closed-loop cooling, no private wells, shielded lighting and a plan to take the buildings down when they close.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Unincorporated Columbia County. - Go to county meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
Depending on where you live in Unincorporated Columbia County: Georgia Power Co. (company) or Jefferson Electric Member Corp. (co-op (owned by its members)).
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Georgia.
🙋 Open tasks here
- Is Google the end user here?
- Is the $17 billion Kinetic agreement approved in Aug. 2026 for this site or the Harlem site?
- The 2025 filing listed 6.6 million gallons of water a day; the 2026 filing lists 148,000. Which is right?
- How many diesel generators are planned?
- Is the 'Project Squash' grading permit filing for this site?
- Who is the end user?
- How much power will it need?
- Is this the same site as the Pumpkin Center rezoning?
- What tax terms are in the Kinetic bond-for-title deal?
- Will the developer reapply?