Village Voters Get Say in Multi-Million-Dollar Data Center Project
The ruling could send the dispute to voters after neighbors filed a petition with more than 660 verified signatures.
- On Friday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Ashville must certify a referendum petition regarding a data center project, requiring fiscal officer April Grube to send it to the Pickaway County Board of Elections for the November 2026 ballot.
- Village officials initially bypassed the referendum process, classifying the EdgeConneX contract as an emergency "necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety of this municipality," but the court rejected this rationale.
- Neighbors submitted a petition with more than 660 verified signatures against the 195-acre project, while advocacy group Pickaway Informed Citizens argued that referendums are crucial for communities deciding on large-scale industrial developments.
- The Pickaway County Board now faces determining whether the petition meets all requirements for ballot placement, which would allow residents to vote directly on the development plan.
- This ruling sets a precedent as Ohio continues to attract massive data centers, often pitting residents against local governments over zoning and subsidies, signaling to other communities they possess a voice in local land-use decisions.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Ohio Supreme Court allows Ashville referendum against data center project to move forward
The Gavel outside the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio, September 20, 2023, at 65 S. Front Street, Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.)Ohio’s local governments cannot fast-track new data centers without giving specific reasons, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled last week. The decision put an Ashville referendum, which would strike down the village council’s approval of a loca…
Ohio Supreme Court Halts Data Center Construction
The fight over the construction of more data centers continues even as President Donald Trump and other supporters have warned the U.S. cannot lose the AI race to China. The latest skirmish involves the small village of Ashville, Ohio, home to approximately 4,500 residents, where local leaders approved a proposed data center and natural gas-fired...
LANDMARK — Supreme Court Blockbuster on Data Centers
The fight over the construction of more data centers continues even as President Donald Trump and other supporters have warned the U.S. cannot lose the AI race to China. The latest skirmish involves the small village of Ashville, Ohio, home to approximately 4,500 residents, where local leaders approved a proposed data center and natural gas-fired power plant. In April, village officials gave the green light to a multimillion-dollar development a…
Village voters get say in multi-million-dollar data center project | The Highland County Press
The Ohio Supreme Court recently put the brakes on the data center and power plant project, ruling that the village must first submit a referendum petition to the board of elections seeking a public vote on the contract.
Wrightsville annexation billed as helping neighboring communities; Wendell Griffen says it’s to protect data center project
The city of Wrightsville wants to annex three unincorporated areas of Pulaski County as a measure of good will to those residents. Wendell Griffen, Democratic candidate for county judge, says there’s more to it than that.
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