Over the last few weeks, community members have increasingly voiced concerns regarding the proposed data center.
On Tuesday night, council passed a resolution by a 6-1 vote to impose a temporary moratorium on data centers for 12 months to allow city officials time to investigate the impact a data center would have on the local community.
The Urbana city administration office has also established an oversight committee to explore information related to a potential data center in the community to make sure “all concerns are investigated thoroughly,” according to a release from Spencer Mitchell, the city of Urbana’s director of administration.
The committee will include residents and representatives from the Champaign County Commissioner’s Office, Urbana City Schools, Urbana city staff, Urbana City Council and Cedar Bog.
“There are several factors that need to be further explored and confirmed, so that the quality of life of our residents can be ensured,” Mitchell said.
“This committee’s formation will promote and exemplify the high standard of collaboration, cooperation, and respect, to ensure that the community is factually informed about the impact that any future data center development would have on the City of Urbana, and our neighbors,” he explained.
Environmental stakes at Cedar Bog
Multiple people representing Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, from the president to volunteers and visitors, were present at a previous meeting discussing the data center. Cedar Bog is a National Natural Landmark, one of only 25 in Ohio, and is ranked the highest in the state for its great diversity of plants.
The potential data center would be built two miles northeast of the bog, and over the aquifer in the recharge area, which is where rainfall comes and goes back into the aquifer that feeds Cedar Bog.
Judy Page, president of the Cedar Bog Association, which manages the nature preserve, explained that Cedar Bog, which is actually a fen (wetlands primarily fed by groundwater rather than rainwater), is world-renowned for its rare plants and wildlife. She said it’s a sliver of a boreal forest they’ve been able to sustain for over 10,000 years.
In 2025, Cedar Bog had 8,049 visitors from 42 of the 50 states and five other countries, Page said.
“Our habitat’s survival depends on the quality and quantity of our aquifer - an aquifer that we share with several counties, the Mad River, farms, cities, and businesses. It’s a big juicy aquifer and it’s the most productive and the most vulnerable and sensitive aquifer in the state of Ohio. We should all strive to protect it,” she said.
“For us, our mission is to protect and perpetuate this special place forever. There’s a lot of unknowns of the impact of a data center. We don’t really how this new technology, which keeps changing, is going to affect us.”
Page said they have to be proactive and explained a negative change in the water quality or quantity would be devastating for the bog, presenting potential changes in the pH, temperature and quantity of the water. The bog is at a stable 50 to 55 degrees of water, which maintains the rare species.
“There’s no redos on this, no remediation. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. That is why we can’t afford to really trust what (the developers) are saying because research is still coming in. We have to be proactive ... because any slip, any runoff from them, any contamination and that would be it for us. We can’t afford to wait and see what happens on this,” she said.
The passed moratorium gives Page and others a little time to rest, but they are “not going to sit still with this moratorium.”
Page said that, in the meantime, they will commission studies and consult with water officials to assess their current standing. Additionally, they plan to enlist data center experts to better understand the potential impacts of the development.
Page said they need to stick together. “The last sentence in our mission statement is the most vital, I think, and that is to assure the perpetuation of Cedar Bog and its natural state. That’s what we intend to do,” she said.
Residents, schools voice opposition
Vancrest of Urbana Assisted Living Director Sharlon Conrad, a lifelong resident and property owner in Champaign County, said one of the biggest concerns is how data centers affect health.
“The inside of our building is heavily regulated by the Ohio Department of Health, ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents, but what about the outside of the building? A moratorium (provides) the opportunity for us to ensure the proposed site for the hyperscale data center is safe,” she said.
Conrad said she’s advocating for 126 residents, 16 of which are medically fragile and receive services from Champaign Residential Services, and 100 staff members who provide 24/7 care for the “most vulnerable” senior population.
“I think we all can take a deep breath right now and kind of regroup on our next plan of attack,” she said.
Connie Flanly, who lives in Olde Towne Condominiums, said the people in the neighborhood feel like they’ve been ignored.
“We feel like we were a little bit ignored in this process and maybe overlooked ... We feel like we’ve been a little bit discarded in the previous decisions that were made but we do thank you for the moratorium because the scope of what’s coming in, if you have this data center built, will practically ruin the south part of Urbana,” she said.
Both Vancrest and Olde Towne Condominiums are located just down the street from the proposed data center.
Flanly noted that residents would bear the brunt of the air and noise pollution, adding that the neighborhood is deeply concerned about rising utility bills and the local water supply.
“We would like to be better informed. We would like to be better respected as part of this town ... and we felt like we were betrayed when we heard that this data center was being pushed on us,” she said.
The data center’s proposed location is also across the street from Urbana Elementary and Junior High School.
Superintendent Charles Thiel said the district first learned about the potential project when it was reported in the local media.
“Contact was made with the city once we heard there was a statement at a meeting that the school district would be receiving $2.8 million. We were told that we would be notified, ‘if and when negotiations are initiated regarding a potential CRA agreement...,’” he said.
For Erin Patton, the 12-month moratorium provides much-needed peace of mind. She said the five-week wait for a resolution left many residents feeling anxious and stuck in limbo.
“I feel relieved that we have some breathing room. That the folks that found out about this kind of came together to share information,” she said. “Now I’m just excited that we have the breathing room to be able to share with the public (here’s how we got here).”
Patton said although they’re relieved, they know what’s ahead of them.
“We don’t trade potentially some tax dollars for our environment and health. It’s not worth it ... It actually will do more harm than good,” she said. “As a community we weren’t going to gain anything. It was going to be bad for the environment, bad for health public health and everyone was opposed to it.”
The next steps, Patton said, are to get everybody caught up and then start figuring out if officials can undo the zoning to allow data centers or change it back to stop this from happening in the future.
Patton also started the Facebook group “Champaign County Ohio Against Data Centers,” and previously asked Champaign County Commissioners to hold a meeting to discuss the data center with residents about what could be done to stop it.
In early 2024, a meeting was held with representatives from Highland Real Estate Development, Urbana city officials, Champaign Economic Partnership Director Rich Ebert and Champaign County Commissioners about building a housing development behind Walmart in Urbana called Dugan Place, and an industrial park on South State Route 68.
In late 2024, a purchase agreement was made between the CEP, on behalf of Champaign County Board of Commissioners (seller), and Scott T. Mallory, managing member, Urbana0624C, LLC (buyer), as the buyer had been interested in the seller’s 94.11 acres of property at 2500 S. U.S. Route 68 and 2200 S. U.S. Highway 68 in Urbana.
The buyer must give the seller a 30-day written notice of their intent to close on the property, which they had not initiated yet. At the closing, the buyer will pay the county $3,293,850 — the equivalent of $35,000 per acre — for the property, with the intent to develop for light industrial and commercial purposes, the purchase agreement reads.
“One does not come in and spend $35,000 an acre in order to farm it,” Patton said. “What I’m asking is that you don’t sell the county-owned farmland when you did not know what was going there ...(This is) about how are we going to save this 95 acres now before the closing,” she said.
Patton raised concerns regarding public health, environmental preservation and the potential strain on local electricity and waterways. She also highlighted the project’s proximity to the school and nearby senior living facility.
Commissioner Tim Cassady said he doesn’t disagree with anything Patton said, and feels they want the same things, including to kill the purchase agreement.
“I feel like the community has spoken what they want when it comes to those type of projects. They’ve spoken about how they want their community developed,” he said. “We share your concerns. We see it in a lot of ways the same way you do.”
While officials are exploring options to challenge the agreement, Cassady noted that the existing contract with the developer remains legally binding.
“I don’t want to present false hope that we’ve located a means to get out of this contract. The problem with a good contract to protect us is it also protects them. As hard as it is for them to get out of it, it’s that hard for us to get out of it,” he said.
“I’m not sure we can stop this, as far as the land deal goes. We’re looking into that ... But I’m going to do everything I can do to look into whether or not we can do that, and if we can do that in a reasonable manner, then that’s what I intend to do.”
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