Defiance, Ohio, voters to decide proposed 25-megawatt data center limit
Defiance voters will decide whether to restrict large data centers through a citizen-led charter amendment that would limit facilities to 25 megawatts. A similar measure in Oregon, in Lucas County, would ban data centers with peak demand of 25 megawatts or more, while Keller Logistics CEO Brian Keller opposes the Defiance proposal because of its potential tax and economic impacts.
A citizen-led charter amendment in Defiance has qualified for the November ballot after residents collected signatures. The proposal would not ban data centers outright, but would limit them to 25 megawatts and address concerns about noise and vibration. Local business owner Sonia Mavis, who spearheaded the effort, said residents do not want the impacts of large facilities in their community.
The measure could affect a potential project involving Keller Logistics CEO Brian Keller, whose 340 acres were annexed into Defiance and are zoned for industrial use. Keller said he has not secured an end user but is considering turning the land into a data center and opposes the amendment, citing the potential for substantial construction-related and ongoing city income-tax revenue. Voters in Oregon, also in Lucas County, are considering a nearly identical measure that would ban data centers with peak demand of 25 megawatts or more. The report also notes that the Ohio Supreme Court has recently given local governments additional authority relevant to the debate.