The City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 27 to stop accepting or approving large data centers inside city limits for 155 days, and that pause is now running. It covers any data center that would draw 10 megawatts or more, and any industrial building of 200,000 square feet or larger built or converted for data center use.
During the freeze, city staff will study the effect on water, wastewater, stormwater, electricity and roads and will draft zoning and noise standards before the ban expires around late January. The council can extend it once by up to 60 days.
Mayor Van Johnson pushed the measure, pointing to companies scouting the region and to the OpenAI project taking shape next door in Effingham County. The pause does not kill any single proposal. It means no large facility can be permitted in Savannah until the city sets the terms.
Sources and documents4 sources
See an error, or have an update on this project? Tell Urban Savannah.
