Two Licking County communities consider data center bans in November election
Voters in Pataskala and Granville, Ohio, will decide in November whether to amend their municipal charters to ban data centers larger than 25 megawatts. The measures come amid opposition to Aligned Data Centers’ proposed 200-megawatt Pataskala project, which the City Council rejected and the company is challenging in court.
Residents of Pataskala and Granville in Licking County will vote Nov. 3 on charter amendments that would prohibit data centers exceeding 25 megawatts within the municipalities. The proposals were advanced through petition drives led by residents and supported by Conserve Ohio, amid broader opposition to large-scale data center development in central Ohio.
The Pataskala measure could affect Aligned Data Centers’ proposed 200-megawatt facility in the city’s corporate park. Pataskala City Council unanimously rejected the project’s site plan in August, and Aligned asked a court to review that decision in September. Supporters of the ban cite concerns about power and water use, noise, environmental effects and quality of life, while council member Tim Hickin said voters should weigh both potential economic benefits and drawbacks.
Granville has no proposed data center, making its ballot measure largely symbolic, according to resident Tracee Laing. Conserve Ohio attorney Nick Owens said courts may ultimately have to determine how a charter amendment would interact with property rights if the Pataskala project’s rejection is overturned and the ban passes.