Abigail Drennen is worried about the possibility that building more data centers in Akron could increase instances of asthma or hypertension. She’s concerned about higher energy use. And she worries that living near data centers can have a negative effect on people’s mental health.
So Drennen, who lives in Highland Square, supports a city initiative to put some guardrails on when and how data centers are allowed in the city. She spoke in support of a measure the city planning commission approved Friday; it’s expected to be considered by City Council later this month.
“Overall, I’m concerned about hyper-scale data centers,” Drennen said. “Why would we want that?”
The planning commission, in a 5-0 vote, passed a proposal that would change Akron’s zoning code to make data centers a type of development that requires a special, conditional use permit to build.
If approved by City Council, that change would mean that no company can build a data center without first holding a public hearing and getting council approval. Currently, data centers are allowed in industrial areas without additional approval.
The move comes after ark data centers, which already has two locations in Akron, received a $4.5 million tax break to expand its operations in Akron and in Independence. Kyle Julien, Akron’s planning director, said that project will continue, but future projects would need to provide information to the city about electric and water use, perform a noise study and provide information on proximity to residences and any backup electric supply.
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Julien said ark has been forthcoming in sharing that information.
In addition to the required information, the proposal would require the potential developer to cover the costs of any studies or consultants needed to help determine the appropriateness of a proposal.
Data center proposal is just the beginning for Akron
The conditional-use proposal, Julien said, is a first step in a process that will allow the city to exercise more control over where data centers might be allowed.
“We need to put a marker in the sand,” he said.
He said the city will continue to look at what other governments are doing to respond to data centers.
Julien said he has spent months studying the issue and, in the future, he expects the city to explicitly limit data centers near schools or parks, perhaps by completely disallowing them in certain parts of Akron. There are currently four data centers in the city.
There’s a broad range of what a data center could mean, he said, so the conditional-use process is meant to create some say for leadership while the city grapples with what it might want to allow, and where.
“This is not rushed, but the time is now,” Julien said.
Drennen said she thought it was alarming that data centers hadn’t needed additional approvals until now. She said she’d like City Council to do its due diligence and thinks a moratorium — as other governments have enacted — would be appropriate. After all, Akron had a moratorium for vape shops.
“I’m trying to trust the process,” she said.
Theresa Augustin, who lives in Summit Lake, said she’s concerned that the historic Firestone Plant #1 could be turned into a data center. She also supports the city’s actions but said she wants residents to have more of a voice and a say in what is considered a data center and what is approved.
“The protection of our commons is one of the best reasons to live in Akron, Ohio,” Augustin said. “There’s really not an incentive for us to bring these here.”
A public hearing will be held at 5 p.m. on July 27 in City Council chambers — those who wish to convey their support or opposition to the measure are welcome to attend.
