Trenton, Ohio Data Center Development Raises Transparency Concerns and Resident Opposition

A large-scale data center project for Amazon Web Services, developed by Prologis, is currently under construction on 140 acres of former farmland in Trenton, Ohio. The 250-megawatt facility, near Duke Energy's Woodsdale Substation, is expected to be nearly 1-million-square-feet.

However, residents like Lorie Blankenship, co-organizer of the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance (W.A.T.E.R.) group, are actively opposing the project, citing a severe lack of transparency from the city. The city agreed to sell the land in spring 2024, but residents were not informed until the sale closed a year later in fall 2025. This secrecy, exacerbated by a city official signing a non-disclosure agreement, has led to public mistrust and accusations of "backdoor deals.

Residents voice concerns about potential negative impacts, including constant humming noise, air pollution from diesel backup generators, and strain on local water systems. Trenton City Manager Marcos Nichols acknowledges the need for balance between openness and staying competitive, stating that early disclosure could deter developers. The city council has voted to create an I-T zoning district with specific requirements for setbacks, berms, and trees to buffer the data center's impact. Prologis has committed to paying for water, electricity, and power system upgrades and estimates the project will create over 100 full-time jobs. Policy Matters Ohio notes a statewide issue with the rapid pace of data center expansion making it difficult for communities to keep up, compounded by weak state-level reporting requirements.