OpenAI to Lease Office Space in Rincon
RINCON, Ga. — OpenAI plans to set up a more permanent office in Effingham County. It will rent and finish the third floor of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority's office building in Rincon. The office will not be at the site of Project Camellia, the company's planned 1,400-acre data center campus.
On Oct. 15, the ECIDA board voted unanimously to approve a three-year lease for OpenAI to rent space at 100 Enterprise Drive. Board Chairman Matt Saxon was not present.
The lease is not final yet. But ECIDA CEO Brandt Herndon asked the board to approve it on Thursday so the decision would not have to wait until the board's November meeting.
“They (OpenAI) really want to get started on this build-out,” Herndon said. “If we can just work through the final point of the lease and get it signed, that way they can get started. They've already toured the facility. They've already got bids from two general contractors.”
The board agreed that it was important to finish the space and rent it out. The lease is for three years, but ECIDA staff expect OpenAI to renew it.
Work to finish the office will begin
Herndon said the third floor is an unfinished space that must be completed before OpenAI can move in. The lease is set to begin July 1.
“That's a pretty quick build-out,” he said. “But they're eager to get in there.”
Construction on the Class A office building began in 2024, and it officially opened in late 2025. The 30,000-square-foot building has 13,000 square feet of office space available to rent. It was designed to meet the growing need for high-quality office space in Effingham County.
“We are confident this facility will serve as a cornerstone for economic development, providing local businesses and new enterprises with a modern and efficient location to thrive,” Herndon said when construction began.
Since the building opened, True North Legacy Group, a company that helps people plan their finances and legacies, has been the only tenant to rent office space there. In January, the ECIDA announced that the company was moving its offices from Bluffton, South Carolina, to the Rincon building.
Herndon said OpenAI is the second company to show interest in renting the third-floor space.
Lease and office construction costs
OpenAI will pay $27,525 a month in rent. It will also receive $75 per square foot to help pay for finishing the space. For about 9,000 square feet, that allowance would total around $675,000.
Herndon said the allowance would not continue for the entire three-year lease.
“The rent that we'll collect over three years will be more than the build-out cost, but at the same time it's closer to the break-even,” Herndon said. “This is in order to get the space built out, and my guess is they'll be in there longer than three years.”
Herndon said True North Legacy also received money to help finish its office when it moved into the building. OpenAI's allowance is larger because its space is more complicated to prepare.
The lease gives OpenAI two options to renew. After the first three years, the ECIDA will negotiate a new rental amount.
Office for employees who travel
Herndon expects OpenAI's space on the third floor to operate like a regular office. It will likely be used by employees traveling to and from Effingham County, rather than serving as a workplace at the planned data center site.
“They're going to be people coming and going,” he said. “Their hours are going to be very different from ours. It'll probably be a lot of different faces.”