Cleveland rejects Slavic Village data center permit

Cleveland officials, led by Mayor Justin Bibb, have rejected a permit application for a proposed $1.6 billion data center in the city's Slavic Village neighborhood. The application, filed by Lakeland Equity Group for a two-story, 300,000-square-foot hyperscale facility, failed during zoning review. Mayor Bibb expressed "serious concerns" about such large-scale data centers being located in residential areas. Ward 3 Council Member Deborah Gray, Ward 2 Council Member Kevin Bishop, and Ward 5 Council Member Richard Starr represent areas near the proposed 35-acre site between East 49th and East 55th Streets. The city's decision was announced via Mayor Bibb's social media, with his office noting their apparent surprise by the project's scale. Separately, Cleveland City Council Member Charles Slife of Ward 15 introduced legislation in late April that would impose a one-year moratorium on new data center developments. This proposal is still undergoing discussion within the City Council, signaling broader consideration of data center impacts within the community.