Sunbury data center postponed, while lawmakers consider new commission to dispel ‘inaccurate myths’
As the construction of a data center in Sunbury is postponed until officials resolve mixed-up parcel numbers, state lawmakers are considering a bill that aims to inform the public by “dispelling inaccurate myths” about data centers.
House Bill 646 would create a Data Center Study Commission, which could “help dispel inaccurate myths, better inform communities about data center benefits, including job creation and tax revenue, and help local officials address constituents’ legitimate concerns about this rising industry,” a senior research fellow at a Columbus think tank told lawmakers.
Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, testified before the Ohio House Technology and Innovation Committee on the bill’s policies, calling HB 646 a “timely and commendable initiative” because the commission would assess the impact of data centers in Ohio, according to a release from the Columbus think tank.
“House Bill 646 will help separate legitimate community concerns regarding water supply, electricity rates, and national security implications, from the misinformation and fearmongering campaigns that have prompted hasty moratoriums that could have disastrous unintended consequences for America’s effort to surpass China in the race for artificial intelligence,” Lawson said in prepared testimony. “Jobs matter. Tax revenue matters. Innovation matters. But in my opinion, national security matters more.”
He also said that if “Ohio—a national data center leader—begins curbing its innovative environment for new data center development, other states will follow,” adding that a “state-backed study commission would provide reliable, unbiased information for every community” and “better information to decision-makers and the public.”
Meanwhile, the rezoning of more than 330 acres in Sunbury for the potential data centers has been delayed after the city discovered an error in the parcel numbers, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
City Administrator Daryl Hennessy told the news outlet that the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission was expected to hold a public hearing on Monday, but the meeting was rescheduled to March 23 to allow verification of parcel numbers due to a paperwork error.
According to Hennessy, Sunbury city staff members allegedly found that a parcel number had been duplicated and applied to multiple parcels. This led the officials, as well as New Albany development and real estate attorney Aaron Underhill, to decide on Feb. 20 that they needed more time to verify the parcel numbers.
Last December, Sunbury Zoning Officer and City Planner Alex Nelisse-Blankenship told The Dispatch that the 331 acres that were recently annexed for future industrial purposes, such as data centers, are within the city’s Limited Industrial Zoning district. The district is modeled after New Albany’s Beech Road corridor, which has become home to data centers for Big Tech giants such as Meta, Google, and Amazon.
Many people living in the area spoke out against the rezoning and the construction of any data centers, adding that they plan to voice their opposition at the upcoming meeting.
“I’m concerned that there are things that we don’t even know about that will show up years down the road,” resident Samantha Shriner told WCMH-TV.
Candy May, one of those residents, said she is very suspicious of the officials’ decision to verify the parcel numbers manually when you can just check everything on the Delaware County Auditor’s website. However, she said that rescheduling won’t prevent her and other residents who oppose the recent changes from attending the meeting.
“I know I’m planning on it, and everybody that I’ve talked to is still planning on going,” she told The Columbus Dispatch.
“Some of us have been banding together on social media, bringing awareness about this because it has not been very public and it has been kind of put under the radar, so we just wanted our voices to be heard,” May added, per WCMH-TV.
