Wilmington residents sue city over proposed Amazon data center plans

Residents of Wilmington, Ohio, are taking legal action against their city, claiming that proper public notification regarding zoning changes for a massive Amazon Web Services data center was not given. Jessica Sharp, representing Wilmington Residents United, stated her group is targeting the zoning changes that reclassified data centers as light industrial, arguing that the public notice was defective. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt the project until the court can make a decision. Residents have voiced concerns about the potential impacts of such a large facility, particularly regarding noise pollution, air quality, and water usage, which an Amazon representative was unable to address thoroughly during a January city council meeting. Residents highlighted that light industrial zoning is meant to have no adverse effect on neighboring properties, a standard they believe a hyperscale data center of this size will not meet.