Dover Township discusses data center concerns
At a public meeting in Dover Township, Ohio, residents and a trustee voiced significant concerns about a proposed data center by Saadia Holdings LLC. Issues raised included potential noise pollution, strain on local infrastructure (water, electricity, roads), increased utility costs, and doubts about job creation. A trustee suggested a public vote on the matter, while also noting that Dover Township lacks the land restrictions to prevent such development.
At a recent public meeting, Dover Township Trustees and residents in Athens County, Ohio, discussed significant concerns regarding a proposed 250,000-square-foot data center by Saadia Holdings LLC. The New York-based firm had inquired about land-use regulations for nearly 300 acres near the Athens-Dover township line.
Residents, including John Zook who lives "right next door" to the proposed site, voiced apprehension over potential noise pollution, playing audio of a "high-decibel screeching sound" from an existing data center. Concerns were also raised about the project's minimal job creation, high water and electricity demands potentially increasing residents' utility costs, and a perceived lack of adequate local infrastructure, such as roads, water, and sewer systems. Dover Township Trustee Chris Russell acknowledged the infrastructure deficiencies, stating that local facilities "are insufficient for an enormous development." Russell, while not explicitly opposing the project, highlighted the community's unpreparedness. He suggested a public vote on whether a data center is welcome in Dover Township but expressed uncertainty about the trustees' authority to block construction or the legal weight of a moratorium. He noted that Athens Township Trustees had already instituted a yearlong moratorium on data center zoning permits due to community opposition, a step Dover Township has not taken due to its lack of land restrictions and county-wide zoning. The article mentions that without local zoning, a data center on Dover Township property could potentially avoid local governmental review entirely.