The Colleton County Council on Jan. 5 advanced two measures tied to a proposed development called Project Quail while fielding extended public comment on a potential data center: a fee-in-lieu (FILO) agreement (Ordinance 25-0-11) and an amendment to a joint county industrial park (Ordinance 25-0-12). Both were moved, seconded and carried by unanimous voice votes at the meeting.

Development staff said Project Quail (named in the transcript as Q and P Inc. / Project Quail) is expected to be a major investment and described participation in a multi-county park with Charleston County. The county’s development director (identified in the transcript as speaker 9) told council Project Quail has signaled capital investment and job figures in public materials: the presentation referenced a pledged $5,100,000 in capital investment and 233 full‑time jobs for a separate prospect described in that portion of the presentation (the transcript links Project Quail and other announced prospects in background remarks). The item on the agenda, Ordinance 25-0-11, authorized execution of a fee-in-lieu/special source revenue credit agreement for certain property related to the project; after the public hearing the council moved the ordinance and the motion carried.

Public comment at the meeting was robust and divided. Among concerns raised by residents were environmental impacts in and near the ACE Basin, risks to wells and surface water, uncertainty about promised tax revenues and jobs, and complaints about perceived lack of community notice. Carol Black, an attorney who said she lives in Northern Virginia, cautioned the council that the developers appear to be speculators and urged rigorous due diligence.

Speakers in favor emphasized economic opportunity. Speaker 12 (identified in the transcript as a state senator who attended a site visit) described visiting a large Midwestern data center and said such facilities can be "game changing," producing construction jobs, high-paying operations jobs and local investments in schools, police and workforce training. Several council members said they had visited a data center in Iowa, consulted utility providers, and heard that Santee Cooper and local electric cooperatives have the capacity to serve the site without raising residential rates. At the meeting one council member summarized the county’s role: the county will not necessarily vote on the project unless the company requests local tax incentives; the board’s immediate action pertained to the FILO agreement and the multi‑county park resolution.

Technical and environmental issues were debated: a public commenter with experience in cooling systems said closed‑loop cooling is standard and can prevent groundwater impacts; opposers urged a moratorium and expressed distrust of some project proponents. The council repeatedly stressed that the zoning and appeals process (Board of Zoning Appeals) and state permitting authorities remain important decision points and that the county’s actions in these agenda items do not itself authorize construction.

Votes at a glance:
- Ordinance 25-0-11 (fee‑in‑lieu agreement with Project Quail): moved and carried unanimously (voice vote).
- Ordinance 25-0-12 (amendment to joint county industrial park with Charleston County): third reading moved and carried unanimously (voice vote).

What’s next: The project will proceed through land‑use and regulatory processes (including the Board of Zoning Appeals and required state permits). Council said the FILO agreement and multi‑county park amendment are now on record; any request for county incentives, or further development agreements, would return to the council for a separate decision.