AMHERST, Ohio — Ohio is experiencing a surge in data centers ranking as the 5th highest state with over 200, according to Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel.
Residents across the state have been speaking out. In one city, residents found out about the potential of a new one through social media.
“Putting it right in the middle of a neighborhood is ludicrous,” said Scott Douglass, an Amherst resident.
Douglass is not a fan of a proposed data center going in right in the middle of his town.
It would be just steps from his daughter and grandkids’ home.
The city’s building department recently rejected Cervenka Development Partners’ request to reuse an existing building on an industrial site. A representative for the developer spoke in front of the city’s zoning board of appeals Wednesday evening.
Dozens of people waited in line to speak at an Amherst public meeting against the project.
“With the amount of power outages and the amount of housing developments going up nearby, do you really think the infrastructure will handle a data center? I don’t,” said one local resident during public comment.
“Every industrial use has impacts. That is why industrial zoning exists. The question is whether those impacts remain compatible with the purpose of the industrial district. We believe the answer is yes,” said Tom Cervenka, representing the developer.
He was asking the appeals board for a use variance which would list data centers as permitted uses under the city’s current zoning code.
Cervenka gave a 30-minute presentation focusing on how difficult it would be to re-occupy the building under its current layout, pointing to issues with loading docks and floor plans.
“The range of realistic replacement industrial users has become significantly more narrow than for a conventional industrial property,” Cervenka said.
The property has been on the market since April.
Cervenka said he didn’t address the residents’ concerns about noise, water and electricity because those questions would be answered in front of the planning commission. Even if the zoning board approves a variance, the developer would still need approval from city council and other municipal boards before moving forward.
Douglass hopes the board turns down the request.
“Once they’re here, they’re here, and they can do whatever they want,” he said.
The board has 14 days to notify the developer of its decision.