Website launched about data center; hearings scheduled

The Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation has launched a new website, vanwertohiodatacenter.com, to provide residents with detailed information regarding a planned $10 billion data center project in Van Wert, Ohio. Executive Director Brent Stevens informed the Van Wert City Council that the website addresses many questions previously raised by council members about the development. While Google is building a $600 million data center in nearby Lima, the Van Wert project, located at the Mega Site, is a much larger investment, though the name of the company behind it has not been disclosed. Stevens noted that the data center will use a closed-loop cooling system, with components manufactured by Van Wert's Danfoss plant, which recently leased a former building for storage with assistance from a $150,000 JobsOhio grant. Danfoss is also transferring 40 jobs from a Tennessee plant to Van Wert, in addition to creating 50 new local jobs to meet the demand for data center components. The city’s Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing this Thursday at 4 p.m. to consider an application to rezone the data center site to an "I-2 General Industrial" district. Council President Thad Eikenbary clarified that this hearing is largely procedural, following a previous rezoning discussion last fall, and will not be a Q&A session. If the Planning Commission approves the request, the City Council plans to host a final public hearing on May 4, with a potential vote on May 11, ensuring ample public notice.