SUNBURY — Sunbury City Council on Wednesday officially enacted Mayor Joe St. John’s proposed moratorium on data centers, putting the measure in place through Jan. 31, 2027.
Just like Sunbury’s State of the City event where St. John first proposed the moratorium, council met in Big Walnut High School’s auditorium to accommodate hundreds of concerned residents and heard 18 public comments.
Council passed the moratorium as an emergency with a unanimous 6-0 vote, after suspending the rules requiring a second and third reading of the resolution.
“The moratorium is a pause on any rezoning. Basically, it halts the advancement of any data center activity in the city,” St. John said after the meeting.
St. John said the city is waiting to see how House Bill 646 moves through the state legislature. The bill would establish statewide rules for where and how data centers can be built in Ohio.
“There’s going to be a lot of good information that comes out relating to the environment, the economic impact, things that we want to take into consideration as we make decisions moving forward,” he said.
St. John said the Amazon data center project in Sunbury is “on hold” and that representatives from Amazon understand this action.
“[Amazon] is very aware of the tenor nationally, and in particular, central Ohio,” the mayor said.
“They want to answer questions, they want a chance to respond, they want to do it thoughtfully. They also want independent research to come out, and they think it’s going to be in their favor.”
St. John said representatives from Amazon, the data center industry, The Manufacturer’s Association, the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and environmental groups could all speak at future public forums on the issue.
He added that the city could extend the moratorium beyond Jan. 31, 2027, if more time is needed to gather information.
Sunbury annexes land adjacent to proposed data center
Right after unanimously approving the moratorium resolution, council again unanimously approved the annexation of about 95 acres of land adjacent to the Amazon data center project.
The city plans to develop the newly-annexed land as part of the Sunbury Business and Technology Park.
Members of the audience booed the council’s decision, after several public comments encouraged council to not approve the annexation.
While the available land for the park has grown, St. John said Amazon is the only business that has sought development in the area so far.
With zoning already in place for the business park, St. John was asked whether the city has the authority to deny a data center.
“That’s what we’re using this [moratorium] time to evaluate our options moving forward,” St. John responded.
He added that removing data centers as a permitted use in the zoning code “may be an option.”
Big Walnut alum raises concerns about transparency, potential conflicts
Eighteen residents from Sunbury and neighboring communities addressed council Wednesday night, following a March 23 planning and zoning commission meeting where about 30 people spoke.
Among them was Galena resident and Big Walnut High School alumna Francesca Parker.
Parker pointed out the resolution calls on City Manager Daryl Hennessy to study what actions the city should take, if any, to regulate data centers and safeguard public health and safety.
She referenced Hennessy’s time as city manager and chairman of the utility board in Charles Town, West Virginia, during the controversial development of a Rockwool manufacturing plant.
In 2019, Charles Town city officials approved a roughly $16 million sewer bond tied to infrastructure for the Rockwool facility.
Rockwool is an insulation plant built on a historic Jefferson County orchard near three schools. While expected to bring jobs, at the time residents raised concerns about emissions and environmental impacts.
Parker drew several comparisons between Hennessy’s time in Charles Town to what is happening in Sunbury now, calling it a conflict of interest.
“Two cities, same playbook: secure the infrastructure, approve the incentives, manage opposition and call everything a technical matter when the public pushes back,” Parker said. “Hold two roles that together benefit industrial development, without proper checks and balances.”
She pressed council with a series of questions about transparency and oversight.
“I’m not here to ask nicely, I’m here to demand answers from this council on the record,” she said.
“Who defines the scope of this study, and will that scope be made public in writing before the study begins? Who are the outside experts, and what are their connections to the development industry? When and how will public forums be held?
“If the answer to any of those questions is, ‘We’ll figure it out,’ then this moratorium is not a protection, it is a management strategy.”
Below are photos of the other 17 individuals who spoke during Wednesday’s Sunbury City Council meeting. Credit: Jack Slemenda / Delaware Source
