Jackson Township in Ohio Enacts One-Year Data Center Moratorium

Jackson Township trustees in Franklin County, Ohio, have unanimously enacted a one-year moratorium on data center development within its unincorporated areas. The resolution, which took immediate effect on Tuesday night, aims to provide the township with time to assess the potential impacts of data center growth and revise local regulations as needed, according to administrator Shane Farnsworth. Currently, there are no specific data center projects under discussion within Jackson Township. However, the moratorium's location is near where Stream Data Centers is developing a facility spanning over 300 acres, partially within Jackson Township and Pleasant Township, the latter of which also approved a data center moratorium this year. While some of the Stream Data Centers land might be annexed into Grove City, city officials, including Community Relations Manager Pat Kindig, confirm no annexation plans or data center applications have been submitted to the city. Grove City's current zoning codes prohibit data centers, requiring a rezoning process with public hearings for any potential application, as explained by city law director Stephen Smith. Ohio is a significant hub for data centers, ranking sixth nationally with over two hundred facilities.