Van Wert Council Approves Data Center Legislation

Van Wert City Council unanimously approved three ordinances Monday night tied to a proposed $10 billion data center at the Mega Site. 

According to the Van Wert Independent, the meeting drew a large crowd, with roughly 40 to 50 people attending in Council Chambers.

One ordinance approved the annexation of about 962 acres of land purchased by Thor Equities from the Marsh Foundation. A second ordinance allows a data center to be located in an I 2 General Industrial zoning area. The third approved a conditional zoning petition.

All three ordinances passed by a 6 to 0 vote, with emergency provisions attached. That allowed council to waive the standard three readings. Councilman Greg Roberts did not vote because he is employed by the Marsh Foundation and was excused from the meeting before the vote.

Before taking action, council heard about an hour of public comments from city and county residents. Many speakers raised concerns about water usage, electric demand, noise, and the overall impact of the project. Others called for a moratorium or asked council to allow three full readings. Some residents spoke in support of the project and the legislation.

Council members Hall Block and Eric Hurless addressed the process before the vote. Block said the process was not perfect, but said he felt better about public engagement after last week’s public hearing. Hurless said the city had held multiple public meetings, planning commission hearings, and a public hearing before council.

Hurless said he believes the public had been given a chance to be heard, and said continued delays could create uncertainty for businesses evaluating the site.

With the legislation approved, the name of the end user expected to operate the data center could be released in the near future.