Shalersville Zoning Fight Over 750-Megawatt Data Center Heads to Key Hearings
A proposed 750-megawatt Bitdeer data center campus in Shalersville Township is facing a series of public hearings over whether existing light industrial zoning permits the project. Residents and officials are pushing for stricter rules covering power use, noise and other impacts, while Bitdeer and its development partner Geis Development warn that the proposed changes could expose the township to litigation.
Bitdeer Technologies Group is seeking to develop a 15-building, 750-megawatt data center campus on 257 acres in Shalersville Township, Portage County. The project would be Bitdeer’s largest U.S. facility and is expected to be built in phases, with an initial investment estimated at more than $300 million. Geis Development is partnering with Bitdeer on the project.
The Shalersville Zoning Commission approved amendments redefining heavy industrial uses to include facilities drawing or generating at least 25 megawatts, potentially placing the proposed campus outside the township’s existing zoning framework. Residents have raised concerns about electricity consumption, noise, dust, debris and cooling systems, while Geis attorneys argue the proposed restrictions could violate property rights and create litigation risks.
The township has a data center moratorium scheduled to run until early November. Public hearings are scheduled before Shalersville officials, and the Portage County Regional Planning Commission is also reviewing competing zoning definitions. The dispute is unfolding amid broader data center moratoriums in nearby municipalities and a statewide Ohio House study commission examining data center energy, water, noise and land-use impacts.