Tallmadge considers six-month moratorium on potential data centers

The city of Tallmadge, Ohio is considering enacting a six-month moratorium on potential data center developments as city officials look to study the impact of such projects on the community. Tallmadge Law Director Megan Raber said during a recent city council meeting that the city currently has no pending applications for data centers, but officials want to be proactive in reviewing the issue. Raber cited concerns about data centers' energy usage, noise, and size as reasons behind the proposed moratorium. City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter during its regular meeting on April 13. Ward 3 Councilman Jonathan Bollas also asked the legal department to research how neighboring cities have responded to data center proposals, citing a recent project that was pulled in the nearby city of Norton. In December, the Norton City Council enacted its own six-month moratorium on new data center projects after rejecting a proposal by Quantum HPC for a 90-acre data center site. Raber said Tallmadge's legal department will look at the actions taken by other communities as it considers its own potential moratorium.