Thor Equities Sues Urbana Over Data Center Zoning Reversal and Moratorium
Thor Equities, a private equity company, has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Urbana, Ohio, its council, and zoning board. The lawsuit alleges the city violated Thor's rights by rescinding zoning approvals for a data center project and imposing a moratorium after the company invested $19.6 million in land and submitted a site plan. This legal action follows significant resident opposition that led the City Council to deny the project application.
Thor Equities, LLC, a private equity company, has initiated a federal lawsuit against the City of Urbana, its city council, and the Building and Zoning Appeals Board in U.S. District Court. The legal action stems from the city's reversal on zoning changes that previously permitted a data center project and its subsequent imposition of a moratorium on such developments. According to Thor Equities, the company had invested over $19.6 million to acquire approximately 230 acres after the city annexed the property, rezoned it for manufacturing, and unanimously approved specific zoning code changes for data centers in 2025.
The lawsuit alleges that the City Council later denied Thor's site plan application in February on grounds not supported by its zoning code. This denial occurred last week following substantial opposition from Urbana residents voiced at multiple public meetings. Melissa Gliatta, Global COO for Thor Equities, stated that the lawsuit aims to uphold the rule of law and protect good-faith investments, emphasizing the company's reliance on the city council's prior actions. The company estimates the data center project would annually generate about $3 million for Urbana’s budget and $2.8 million for local schools.