City Planning Commission makes zoning recommendation

The Van Wert Planning Commission held a contentious meeting regarding the rezoning of a section of the Mega Site, intended for a $10 billion data center. Over 50 attendees, including city and non-city residents, filled the Council Chambers, with most expressing strong opposition to the data center project. The commission, comprising Mayor Ken Markward, Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming, and Trevor Bebout, ultimately voted 3-0 to recommend to the city council that the property be rezoned to I-2 general industrial upon annexation into the city. Attorney Chuck Koch, representing the Marsh Foundation Board of Trustees and Van Wert East Owners LLC, stated that these parcels had previously been recommended and approved for I-2 zoning twice before, and the current meeting was to correct procedural errors. Opposition largely centered on concerns about water usage, prompting the Van Wert Area Economic Development Director to explain that the unnamed data center end-user would employ a closed-loop system, addressing misinformation about high water consumption. Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming, who chaired the meeting, frequently called for order amidst heated discussions and emphasized that the meeting's sole purpose was to discuss rezoning, not the data center's broader implications. The process continues with another public hearing on April 27 for a zoning code amendment, followed by a full city council public hearing on May 4. A final vote on the proposed zoning request is anticipated on May 11.