Brownhelm Township trustees announce opposition to data centers

The Brownhelm Township trustees voted this week to announce that they are opposed to the construction of any data center within the limits of the township. In a motion at their regular meeting Monday, all three trustees voted to sign a letter saying that they are opposed to data centers in the township because their residents had voiced serious concerns that the trustees said they share. "We want the residents of Brownhelm to know that we hear you," said the letter signed by trustees Dan DePalma, Greg Butchko and Tom Rini. "We are committed to protecting the lifestyle and environment that make our township home. To that end, we are proactively exploring every tool at our disposal – including potential new zoning regulations – to ensure that any future land use aligns with the vision our citizens have for their community." While the letter itself does not serve as a ban or moratorium on data centers, it announces the stance of the trustees as the township is deep in the process of updating its future land use plan. Changing township zoning rules to make data centers impossible could be a part of that future planning process. There are currently no announced plans to build data centers — physical facilities that house IT infrastructure like servers — in the township, but the letter comes amid a groundswell of grassroots opposition to the facilities. DePalma, the primary author of the letter, said that he was driven to bring it forward in large part by a statewide petition seeking a ban in Ohio. Local opposition to data centers has also grown drastically in recent months as debate has raged regarding the "mega site" development in New Russia Township proposed by the Lorain County commissioners. While developers and county officials have insisted the end user of the 1,000-plus acre development has not been decided, speculation and fear that a data center would be the ultimate result have been intense. In March, the New Russia Township Trustees voted against a rezoning request of 622 acres needed for the development. "(Banning data centers) is not a done deal, but I certainly hope we can get people moving forward on saying, 'Hey, this is something we do not want,'" DePalma said. "If you look at New Russia Township, their voice got pretty darn strong. … We understand and respect that the commissioners are focused on helping the county move forward and grow financially, but development comes at a price. I guess that our stance (as trustees) is that development doesn't just mean data centers. There are a whole lot of other options out there." DePalma said that the concerns about data centers he heard from residents included worries about noise generated by such facilities, potential increases in utility rates driven by the electricity and water they use, negative impacts on property values and an erosion of the township's "rural identity." The township's nine-member land use committee, which is currently overseeing the future land use plan rewrite, will hold a public meeting May 20 at the Vermilion-on-the-Lake Clubhouse to give residents a chance to voice their opinions on the plan. "You can't stop development, per se, but you can put limits on things and that is kind of what we intend to do," DePalma said. "We really want to stop data centers, because you hear so many negative things after they go in." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.