Data centers in Columbia County, Georgia: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Columbia County, outside Augusta, sought out data centers on purpose, and Google was named the tenant of two campuses here in July 2026. County Manager Scott Johnson described the project as 33 buildings on 3,500 acres, and land is already being cleared. Commissioners approved the White Oak Technology Park and Pumpkin Center rezonings on February 3, 2026; a third, Byrd Farms, was rejected the same day for having no named tenant.

The county's pitch is that data center tax money could eventually eliminate homestead property taxes. House Bill 439 lets the county set revenue aside for tax relief, subject to a referendum in November, and Johnson said credits could start in 2027 with bills reaching zero in 2028 at the earliest. "We understood early on that this was an initiative of our president, it was an initiative of our governor, and it was going to happen in Georgia," Johnson said. "So why not let the Columbia County residents benefit from this?"

At the rezoning hearing, Appling resident Catherine Newsome objected: "This is our home. This is our livelihood. This is our way of life. And it's just not good enough." The Pumpkin Center site's buffers were doubled to 500 feet and its berms raised to 12 feet after resident concerns about noise.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.