Data Center Census

Appling, Columbia County, GA

White Oak Technology Park

Also known as White Oak Business Park data center

ApprovedData center (D-C) rezoning approved Feb 2026; resident's suit dismissed March 2026, appeal filed with Georgia Court of Appeals April 2026
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

White Oak Technology Park is a planned data center and technology campus next to the White Oak Business Park in Appling, Columbia County, outside Augusta. A 2025 regional impact filing described about 8 million sq ft of data centers on roughly 1,900 acres, with Trammell Crow Company as developer. In July 2026 the county’s Economic Development Authority named Google as the sole end user and operator, and in August 2026 it approved a memorandum of understanding for a $17 billion Google investment in the county’s data center project. Resident Gregory Guido Jr. sued over the February 2026 rezoning and a parallel Pumpkin Center data center rezoning; Superior Court dismissed both suits in March 2026, and he appealed to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Site size1,900 acres [1]
adjacent land proposed for rezoning in 2025 DRI filing
Floor area8 million sq ft [1]
data center space in DRI filing (8.076M sq ft total campus)
Stated investment$17 billion [9]
'At least $17 billion' under EDA memorandum with Kinetic Infrastructure Solutions (Alphabet subsidiary)
Source excerpt
“The Economic Development Authority of Columbia County approved the agreement for the project, representing a commitment of at least $17 billion — one of the largest private investments in county history.”

Water

Water use6,500,000 gal/day [2]
worst-case water demand, with nearly 4M gpd to sewer, as reported
CoolingClosed-loop cooling required under Data Center zoning district [9]
Source excerpt
“It includes 500-foot residential buffers, a 65-decibel noise limit, closed-loop cooling, a ban on private wells, full-cutoff lighting and a decommissioning requirement, according to the authority.”

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesBond-for-title financing through the Economic Development Authority of Columbia County; bonds non-recourse to the authority and county [9]
Source excerpt
“The financing uses a bond-for-title structure long established in Georgia.”

Local decisions & site

Deciding voteColumbia County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the S-1 to D-C rezoning (meeting reported Feb. 5, 2026) [3]
Source excerpt
“The Economic Development Authority of Columbia County's (EDACC) request to rezone the White Oak Tech Park property from Special (S-1) to Data Center (D-C) passed through unanimously.”
ZoningRezoned from Special (S-1) to Data Center (D-C); one 37-acre tract at 0 Morris Callaway Road remanded to the Planning Commission over a parcel-number advertising error [3]
Source excerpt
“The Economic Development Authority of Columbia County's (EDACC) request to rezone the White Oak Tech Park property from Special (S-1) to Data Center (D-C) passed through unanimously.”
Nearest homes or schoolsData Center zoning district requires 500-foot residential buffers [9]
Source excerpt
“It includes 500-foot residential buffers, a 65-decibel noise limit, closed-loop cooling, a ban on private wells, full-cutoff lighting and a decommissioning requirement, according to the authority.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. DRI filed for 8M sq ft data center and technology park [1]

  2. Initial rezoning vote [2]

  3. Board of Commissioners unanimously approves D-C data center rezoning with 65 dB noise cap; also approves Pumpkin Center, rejects Byrd Farms [3]

  4. Gregory P. Guido Jr. files judicial review petitions challenging White Oak and Pumpkin Center rezonings [4]

  5. Columbia County Superior Court dismissal orders filed (White Oak order signed March 19) [5]

  6. Guido files notices of appeal to Georgia Court of Appeals [5]

  7. Columbia County Economic Development Authority announces Google as sole end user and operator of the data center project [8]

  8. Economic Development Authority of Columbia County approves a memorandum of understanding for a $17 billion data center investment by Kinetic Infrastructure Solutions, an Alphabet subsidiary; county says Google will pay $40 million a year for seven years [9]

Issues raised

  • Suit alleges procedural defects, incomplete water/sewer and traffic analysis, and conflict with the comprehensive plan [4]
  • Observers questioned transparency and lack of an identified end user [2]
  • County officials project about $118 million in annual tax revenue at full build-out [2]

Sources

  1. Plans filed for 8 million sq ft data center and technology park outside Augusta, Georgia
    DatacenterDynamics · Apr 9, 2025 · news
  2. Columbia County observer questions White Oak Technology Park and transparency
    The Augusta Press · Oct 27, 2025 · news
  3. Columbia County passes two out of three rezonings for data center requests amid persistent opposition
    The Augusta Press · Feb 5, 2026 · news
  4. Citizen files lawsuits over Columbia County data centers
    WRDW · Feb 26, 2026 · news
  5. Citizen appeals dismissals of Columbia County data center rezoning lawsuits
    WRDW · Apr 16, 2026 · news
  6. Appeals filed in Columbia County data centers, quarry zoning cases
    The Augusta Press · Apr 16, 2026 · news
  7. Columbia Co. data centers get zoning approval, face additional steps before construction
    WRDW · Feb 4, 2026 · news
  8. Google announced as end user of 8 million sq ft data center in Columbia, Georgia
    DatacenterDynamics · Jul 24, 2026 · news
  9. Columbia County advances $17 billion data center deal
    WRDW · Aug 26, 2026 · news