Trenton Planning Commission could vote on massive data center project. Here’s what to know

The Trenton Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on March 30 for a site plan review for "Project Mila," an 880,000-square-foot data center proposed by developer Prologis. The project, slated for 141 acres in Trenton Industrial Park, involves four buildings and an electrical substation, and is anticipated to create 140 jobs. Initial groundwork is already underway for the substation, although vertical construction has not begun. Despite the project meeting Trenton Zoning Code requirements, residents like Barry Blankenship have expressed significant opposition since Prologis acquired the land in October 2025. Concerns include potential environmental impacts, substantial water usage, increased electricity costs, and a lack of transparency from the city. Residents have formed the "Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance" Facebook group and have formally requested the city to pause the project and enact a moratorium on data center developments, citing broader research on data centers' public health impacts, including air pollution from fossil fuel power plants and diesel generators. Prologis, a San Francisco-based company, held a community forum to address concerns, stating the data center would use efficient direct evaporative-free air cooling and would not impact residential water use, with the company paying for all utility upgrades and costs. However, residents remain unsatisfied, noting a statewide movement in Ohio proposing a constitutional amendment to ban large AI data centers.