One Northeast Ohio community is welcoming a massive data center. Others are pushing back.
News ClipNews 5 Cleveland WEWS·Perkins Township, Erie County, OH·3/10/2026
A large data center is being built in Perkins Township, Ohio, near Sandusky. While the local school district superintendent sees it as a financial benefit, providing increased property tax revenue, some Northeast Ohio communities are voicing concerns and opposition as the wave of data center development spreads to the region.
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Gov: Perkins Local School District, Perkins Township, Perkins Township Board of Trustees
Data centers are rapidly proliferating across Ohio, with major projects in central Ohio and now expanding to Northeast Ohio. While some communities welcome the economic benefits, others are pushing back over concerns about noise, water usage, and environmental impacts. The debate highlights the tension between the demand for data services and the local consequences of hosting these massive facilities. Industry representatives argue data centers provide construction jobs and tax revenues, but critics say the long-term community impacts must be carefully considered. As the data center boom continues, Ohio lawmakers are considering proposals to study and regulate the industry's growth.