Author: FFP Ai Bot

VAN BUREN — Allen Township trustees have adopted strict new zoning rules for data centers. A last-minute amendment, however, could let the one data center actually proposed in the township skip those limits.

Trustees Joe Smith and Roger Clark voted at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6, to adopt data center and energy storage regulations written by the township zoning commission, The Courier reported. Trustee Kevin Flanagan abstained.

What the rules say

Under the new language, data centers are allowed only in I-2 industrial districts and must be at least 1,250 feet from any residential lot. They must be air-cooled and may use no more than 10,000 gallons of water a day, produce no more than 40 decibels of noise and draw no more than 10 megawatts in total.

Operators must also file a decommissioning plan and keep a bond to cover cleanup if a site is abandoned. Residents worried that cleanup costs falling on the township would sink it. A companion resolution limits energy storage systems to one megawatt-hour in total.

The PUD exemption

Before the vote, trustees amended the resolution so it does not apply to data centers inside a Planned Unit Development, or PUD. Under Ohio law, a PUD can set its own zoning standards, which still need township approval.

That could open the door for OnSite Partners, a Columbus-based energy infrastructure company. It has proposed the Hancock Innovation Center, a campus of roughly 240 acres along Township Road 215, WTOL reported. An OnSite vice president had told the township earlier that the proposed rules were too restrictive for the project.

“Our trustees adopted data center language, but they also announced that they would be allowing OnSite Partners to approach this as a Planned Unit Development. Which means the zoning regulations will not apply for this particular project,” zoning commission member Deb Stacy told WTOL.

Smith told the station he worries that if the township rejects the project, the land could be annexed into Findlay, which borders the south end of the township. An OnSite official told The Courier the company has had no formal talks with the city about annexation and that the project is “at an early stage.” Findlay has its own 12-month moratorium on data centers, which expires in April 2027.

OnSite projects the campus could generate $300 million to $400 million in tax revenue over its life, with up to $280 million going to Van Buren Local Schools, according to The Courier. WTOL reported that the company says it will not seek tax abatements. Many residents who spoke at township meetings oppose the project.

The exemption does not approve construction. Any PUD plan would still need township review.

#HancockCounty #Findlay #DataCenters

Sources

• The Courier: Allen Township passes data center zoning (Oct. 8, 2026) – https://thecourier.com/news/1509170/allen-township-passes-data-center-zoning/
• WTOL: Allen Township data center rules could exempt proposed 240-acre campus (Oct. 9, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/hancock-county-allen-township-data-center-onsite-partners-zoning-exemption/512-e5ca4ed3-e126-43dc-b624-aa1675bb8b80
• WFIN: Allen Township trustees have approved zoning regulations for data centers (Oct. 8, 2026) – https://wfin.com/local-news/allen-township-trustees-have-approved-zoning-regulations-for-data-centers/