Data center in Trenton spurs transparency concerns
Residents in Trenton, Ohio, are raising concerns about a planned 250-megawatt data center being developed by Prologis, citing a lack of transparency from city officials. Opposition focuses on potential impacts on water use, environment, noise, and light, despite the city creating a new IT zoning district and approving site plans. A local group, Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance, continues to push back and demand more openness from the city.
Construction is underway in Trenton, Ohio, for a 250-megawatt data center project led by California-based developer Prologis. The city council approved the sale of 140 acres of former farmland for the project in spring 2024, though residents, including Lorie Blankenship, only learned of the sale a year later, prompting concerns about a lack of transparency.
Blankenship and other residents formed the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance (W.A.T.E.R.) group, raising issues about water usage, environmental impacts, noise, and light pollution. City Manager Marcos Nichols stated that an I-T zoning district was created in November 2025 with provisions for setbacks, berms, and trees to buffer these impacts. The city's water department confirmed capacity, and site plans have been approved. Prologis estimates the project, expected to host Amazon Web Services as an end-user, will create over 100 jobs and pay for its own utility upgrades.
However, residents' distrust deepened when Blankenship had to file a Court of Claims complaint to obtain a non-disclosure agreement signed by a city official regarding the project. This local debate mirrors a broader discussion in Ohio about data center expansion and the need for greater transparency. Policy Matters Ohio's Molly Bryden noted the state lacks strong reporting requirements for planned projects, leading communities to rely on public records requests. Bills have been introduced in the Ohio Statehouse to address such transparency issues by limiting NDAs for local government officials. Residents continue to advocate for openness, particularly as the city plans to annex 600 additional acres for another data center.