This story's been updated with additional information.
Urbana city council passed a 12-month moratorium on new data centers by a vote of 6-1 on Tuesday to give the city time to assess their potential impacts.
This comes on the heels of developers taking steps to construct a $1 billion data center project there.
Urbana Technology Hub facing uncertain future
The Champaign County Community Center Auditorium was overflowing Tuesday night, packed with residents wanting to know about project plans and the fate of the moratorium.
New York-based real estate firm Thor Equities wants to construct a data center it calls the Urbana Technology Hub near the intersection of Ohio 55 and U.S. 68 near the Rittal plant. It would consist of a single story data center building that’s about 460,000 square feet.
Texas-based data center developer CyrusOne attached itself to the project in recent weeks.
Chris O’Grady with CyrusOne spoke at the meeting before the moratorium was passed.
“We take our responsibilities as developers and operators seriously and invite the community to engage with our team. In the coming weeks, we'll be meeting with local stakeholders, neighbors, and those of you who want to speak with us directly,” O’Grady said.
When asked by the council, developers didn’t say what they would do if the moratorium was passed.
“We're hoping that there's no need for a moratorium because we followed the process in place and abided with the zoning regulations as they exist,” Raj Vohra with Thor Equities said.
The council motioned to vote on the measure before resident comments. Council member Amy Jumper said they were elected to make thoughtful decisions for the community.
“Our responsibility isn't about moving quickly, it's about doing what's right," Jumper said prior to the vote. "It's about supporting the moratorium, it is about honoring that duty. Our community placed its trust in us to lead carefully and responsibly. I believe voting in favor of this reflects that commitment to our community.
Local opposition growing momentum
Over 30 individuals spoke out against the project at the meeting after the moratorium passed. Many residents opposed the project and organized once the proposal came to light. That includes starting a website and circulating a petition with over 4,000 online signatures to oppose data centers in Champaign County, all within the last two weeks.
The consumer protection agency Ohio Consumers’ Counsel found that Ohio ranks in the top five states for largest data center markets, which is driving concerns for local resource impacts.
At the meeting, some were skeptical of its estimated water and energy usage. O’Grady said daily water usage would be comparable to what’s used in 12 homes. He also stated AES Ohio customers won’t see bill increases because of the data center.
Neighbors also worried about the effect on the ecosystem at nearby Cedar Bog Nature Preserve.
Cedar Bog is within two miles of the property. It’s the only wetland of its kind in the state and contains 40% of the state’s rare and endangered plant species.
The nonprofit Cedar Bog Association operates the preserve on behalf of the state. Association president Judy Page said they have to be proactive in preserving Cedar Bog from the unknown risks of a neighboring data center.
"It's the most productive and the most vulnerable and sensitive aquifer in the state of Ohio. We should all strive to protect it," Page said.
"A negative change in our water quality or quantity would be devastating to the bog. PH changes, temperature changes, quantity changes. There's no re-dos on this, no remediation. Once it's gone, it's gone."
