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COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. — A potential data center project in Colleton County has sparked significant opposition from local legislative leaders in the Lowcountry.
These officials are making it clear: “Not in our county.”
State Senator Margie Bright Matthews expressed her concerns, saying, “Why jeopardize your most valuable resources? This includes the residents, their quality of life, the water, the air, and the energy required—when there are alternative locations. Such actions are simply not acceptable.”
The Colleton County legislative delegation, consisting of three senators and four representatives, has issued a resolution urging the Colleton County Council to reject the construction of the expansive data center.
Last November, county authorities approved a zoning ordinance to permit the project’s development. This amendment to the county’s code allows data centers as a special exception under general land uses in rural areas, including the ACE Basin and its headwaters.
At a public meeting weeks later, a large number of citizens came out to have their say against the project.
Matthews, one of the lawmakers who signed the resolution, said it is about protecting the natural beauty and history of the area.
“I could not believe that they would want to locate a data center in a very dense residential area that has as a lot of history,” said Matthews. “That’s my family’s area. That’s where I grew up. So, one would have to wonder, ‘Why is it so important to put it in an area that is going to affect the quality of life?’ It’s going to cause noise. It’s going to use up too much water. You can’t run those data centers without a bunch of lights. What will that do to the environment, to the farming?”
Matthews feels like the company and the county attempted to hide their plans from legislators and the public to avoid backlash.
“Each year since I’ve been in the Senate, the delegation has worked with Colleton County to provide economic resources to it so that it could continue to be successful and to help develop industrial parks,” said Matthews. “Each year, we’ve always been there willing to help. But did they come to us to tell us? To tell us that they needed help and that this was a problem. No, they didn’t. This data center, where they’re saying they need the money from it, why not come to us? We have the Southern Carolina Alliance as well as the Department of Commerce. Come to us and say, ‘Hey, we need some industry here because there are tax based needs to increase.’ That was not done. Instead, we get hit on the same day with the rest of the public that a data center is locating in our most precious area of our county.”
Matthews plans to rally more support if the issues comes before the legislature.
News 3 asked Senator Matthews, “Can you guys block this potential plan?”
“We’re still working on the actual avenue,” said Matthews. “But the plan is to stop this data center from locating in this area. And whatever we need to do, we’re going to do it. We’re going to employ it. We are working on the Data Center Location Bill that Senator Davis has sponsored through his committee. We plan to be on board with that and help bring people in to talk in Columbia before the committee on why this is so important with Colleton County. Just cannot allow this to happen.”
Some landowners in the area have also filed a lawsuit asking the court to overturn the ordinance and block the county from using it to issue approvals.
You can read the full resolution here:
“A RESOLUTION OF THE COLLETON COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION
Whereas, the ACE Basin is one of the largest protected coastal ecosystems on the East Coast, encompassing portions of Colleton, Beaufort and Charleston Counties; and
Whereas, the ACE Basin Initiative was established 36 years ago to protect and preserve the rich history and diverse ecosystems of the ACE Basin through voluntary public/private partnerships; and
Whereas, over its 36-year history the ACE Basin Initiative has facilitated protection of more than 350,000 acres in the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto River Basins through collaborative processes, resulting in state and federal wildlife refuges and preserves, state wildlife management areas, and private property protected by voluntary conservations easements.
Whereas, on November 10, 2025, the Colleton County Code of Ordinances was amended to add data centers as a special exception to the general land uses within rural communities, including the ACE Basin and its headwaters; and
Whereas, on November 21, 2025, a special exception was sought from Colleton County to develop one of the world’s largest data center campuses on Cooks Hill Road in the Ace Basin Watershed; and
Whereas, on December 18, 2025, a public hearing was held on the data center campus in which hundreds of community residents voiced their opposition to the proposed location; and
Whereas, data center developments are not appropriate in the Ace Basin Watershed.
Now, therefore, be it resolved on this 5th day of February 2026, the following members of the Colleton County Legislative Delegation urge Colleton County Council to oppose the proposed data center campus on Cooks Hill Road in Colleton County.”
Senator Chip Campsen (Senate District 43), Representative Justin Bamberg (House District 90), Senator Margie Bright Matthews (Senate District 45), Representative Robby Robbins (House District 97), Senator Matthew Leber (Senate District 41), Representative James Teeple (House District 116) and Representative Michael Rivers, Sr. (House District 121)