Middleton Twp. rejects Liames rezoning request

The Middleton Township Zoning Commission has rejected a request from Liames to rezone 13 parcels of land, totaling approximately 31.82 acres, from R-4 Residential and A-1 Agricultural to M-1 Industrial. The parcels are located north of Ohio 582 and near Ohio 25 or Mercer Road, adjacent to a data center linked to Meta. The request, intended to create consistent zoning around the data center, was previously favored 4-2 by the Wood County Planning Commission.

During the commission meeting, James Sverchek, a civil engineer with Barge Design Solutions representing Liames, stated there were no permanent improvements planned for the parcels and that the properties were purchased for consistency after initial data center planning. However, Commission Chairman Ross Fought expressed concerns about eliminating buffers for residents living near the site. Residents voiced strong opposition, with John Schmidt stating his property value had been destroyed by the data center's presence and Beth Cole calling Meta "terrible, no good and rotten" due to traffic and privacy issues.

Attorney Elizabeth Alexander, also representing Liames, argued the land purchases and rezoning request were a goodwill effort to increase the buffer zone around the data center. However, residents and commissioners questioned the rationale, particularly given past unfulfilled promises regarding construction traffic. The commission ultimately voted 0-4 to reject the rezoning request, with Chairman Fought abstaining. Middleton Township Trustees are scheduled to vote on the commission's recommendation.