Ellsworth Township becomes latest community to enact data center moratorium
Ellsworth Township in Ohio has enacted a one-year data center moratorium to allow for zoning review. This action follows similar moratoriums in other Mahoning Valley communities, while Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has also paused new data center tax exemption requests statewide.
Ellsworth Township, Ohio, has recently enacted a one-year moratorium on data center development, effective June 10. The township's zoning inspector confirmed the action, stating its purpose is to allow officials to thoroughly review existing zoning regulations concerning data centers and conduct further research on the topic. The moratorium includes an option for future renewal, and no data center zoning applications had been received or processed in Ellsworth Township prior to this enactment.
This move places Ellsworth Township among several communities in Ohio's Mahoning Valley region that have implemented data center moratoriums. Lordstown Village Council, for instance, extended its 180-day moratorium on June 16. Braceville Township, Cortland, Hubbard, and the City of Niles also enacted moratoriums in late May and early June, ranging from six months to one year.
Further underscoring a statewide trend, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on May 27 a pause on the consideration of new data center tax exemption requests. This decision was made to allow the Ohio General Assembly's Joint Data Center Committee to research the growing impact of data centers, particularly given previous reports that sales tax exemptions have cost the state billions in revenue.