WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Data center developers face a closed door in much of Fayette County for the next nine months after county commissioners voted to freeze new projects in seven rural townships while planners study the industry’s strain on roads, water and emergency services.
The Sept. 21 resolution stops county staff from accepting or processing zoning certificates, rezoning requests and building permits for data centers or data processing centers in the unincorporated portions of Concord, Green, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Paint and Perry townships, according to meeting minutes from the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. Projects already authorized are exempt. The freeze lasts through June 1, 2027.
Commissioners Donald Fleak and Tony Anderson voted for the measure, which Fleak introduced; the motion carried. The board said the pause gives officials and outside consultants time to evaluate how data centers affect local infrastructure while the county finishes rewriting its comprehensive land use plan, due for completion by May 31, 2027.
Before the vote, the board limited public comment on the issue to five minutes per person and 30 minutes total, citing heavy public interest. A group of residents addressed the proposal, and Paint Township resident Dan Drake handed commissioners signed requests for the moratorium from all seven townships, according to the minutes.
The action came after weeks of annexation petitions in Jefferson Township, where property owners have sought to move farmland into the Village of Jeffersonville ahead of possible large-scale development. Zoning Director Justin Hagler briefed commissioners on how county zoning could be amended, and consultant Sarah Kelly of Planning Next said the first public sessions on the land use plan update are scheduled for November.
In other business, commissioners approved $186,000 through Enterprise Fleet Management to buy three equipped vehicles for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and approved an as-needed legal services arrangement with FBT Gibbons for annexation matters at a blended rate of $425 an hour.
Originally published at The Fallout Files: https://thefalloutfiles.substack.com/p/fayette-county-freezes-data-center
