Pataskala, Granville voters overwhelmingly support large-scale data center bans
Voters in Pataskala and Granville overwhelmingly approved charter amendments banning data centers larger than 25 megawatts. The vote follows Pataskala City Council’s rejection of Aligned Data Centers’ proposed 200-megawatt facility and the company’s appeal of that decision.
Voters in Pataskala and Granville approved charter amendments prohibiting data centers larger than 25 megawatts, with support reaching 73.62% in Pataskala and 82.45% in Granville, according to preliminary results from the Licking County Board of Elections. The measures were organized with support from Conserve Ohio, whose attorney Nick Owens said all 10 similar charter amendments on the statewide ballot passed.
The ban is especially consequential in Pataskala, where residents had opposed Aligned Data Centers’ proposed 200-megawatt facility in the city’s corporate park. Pataskala City Council unanimously rejected the proposal in August, and Aligned asked a judge to review the denial in September. Local organizer Leatrice Guttentag urged the company to withdraw its appeal, while organizers described Granville’s measure as largely symbolic because no data center has been proposed there.