Resident questions transparency, timeline for proposed Columbia County data-center project

Residents raised questions at the June 17 Board meeting about a large proposed data-center development on a multi-hundred‑acre tract in Columbia County, asking for more public information about timelines, utility upgrades and oversight.

Susan Warren, speaking from the public, said she had concerns about a 2,000-acre tract the county and its development authority were discussing for a data-center site and asked whether the county had publicly released documentation before moving forward. She told commissioners that the planning record included reviews from multiple county departments but said the public had not been sufficiently informed and requested more detailed disclosure about timelines and guarantees for infrastructure work.

Warren said planning materials referenced a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) report and suggested the county should conduct more investigations and provide more information about utilities, traffic and environmental effects before committing to rezoning or funding infrastructure. She asked whether county engineers or only administrative officials had visited comparable sites and urged careful scrutiny of stated opening dates and utility upgrades.

County staff answered procedural questions during the meeting but no board action was taken on the data-center topic at this meeting; the remarks were part of public comment. Warren asked for more public transparency and expressed concern about potential tax dollars spent on upgrades if a developer did not follow through on construction commitments.