Grove City charter proposal would require voter approval for data centers
Activists in Grove City, Ohio, have submitted over 2,000 signatures for a city charter amendment requiring voter approval for large industrial projects, including data centers, that meet specific thresholds for acreage, water, and electricity usage. This initiative follows the Grove City Council's recent enactment of a one-year data center moratorium after community pressure. The Franklin County Board of Elections is currently reviewing the signatures for validity to determine if the proposal qualifies for the November ballot.
Activists associated with "Protect Grove City" have submitted more than 2,000 signatures to the Grove City government, aiming to place a city charter amendment on the November ballot. The proposed amendment, described by organizer Jen Belt as a "community consent agreement," would mandate voter approval for large-scale industrial developments, including data centers, that meet thresholds of at least 50 acres, 500,000 gallons of daily water use, or 20 megawatts of electrical demand. This citizen-initiated effort is unprecedented in Grove City, according to Tami Kelly, clerk of council, who noted it is the first such amendment she has seen in her three decades of service to the city.
The petition drive follows a significant decision by the Grove City Council on June 1, which voted 6-1 to enact a one-year moratorium on data center development. This moratorium was established less than a week after an unnamed Texas-based data center developer submitted plans for a multi-building complex on over 300 acres, and came after months of intense community pressure. Antone White, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, stated that organizers needed 1,138 valid signatures to qualify the issue for the ballot. The board is now responsible for certifying the validity of the submitted signatures within 10 calendar days. Belt emphasized that the campaign has unified the city's residents across political lines.