2 Tri-State townships fight city's annexation bid tied to Amazon data center

Two townships in Butler County, Ohio, St. Clair and Madison, are pushing back against the city of Trenton's bid to annex land for a proposed Amazon data center, intensifying a dispute that has been ongoing for months. Residents from both townships attended a recent meeting where St. Clair Township trustees unanimously voted to formally object to the annexation, with Madison Township having taken a similar vote the previous night.

St. Clair Township trustee Dustin Gadd stated that the land has been part of St. Clair Township for over two centuries. He mentioned that Amazon Web Services has offered $5 million to both St. Clair and Madison townships in exchange for them dropping their objections to the annexation. Gadd asserted that if developers wish to build in St. Clair Township, they should work through the township's established zoning department. This proposed Amazon project would be Trenton's second data center development, following another within city limits revealed last year.

Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, who also attended the meeting, indicated that the Butler County commissioners would review the case, and the county engineer might recommend halting the plan due to traffic concerns raised by both townships. Gadd highlighted that St. Clair Township has an active 12-month data center moratorium and plans to propose new language to the zoning commission to regulate data centers, aiming to address regulatory gaps regardless of future development.

Local 12 reached out to Trenton City Manager Marcos Nichols for comment but did not receive a response.