Residents press Norton City Council on proposed data center near Limestone mine; council delays mine purchase right

Residents at the Norton City Council meeting on Aug. 18 pressed city officials for more information about a proposed data center at the former limestone mine property on Limestone Drive, citing concerns about noise, groundwater, air emissions and rail hazards.

The questions came during the public-comment period from neighbors who said they learned about the project only recently. “I live roughly 600 feet from that property,” said Glenn Yasko, a resident of 3717 Aura Avenue, who urged the developer to provide a property-assurance offer to ease uncertainty about noise and carbon impacts. Michelle Yasco, who also lives on Aura Avenue, said, “I have COPD, so I have worries about that,” and asked how much CO2 the facility would release and whether groundwater wells would be affected.

Rod Moore, who identified himself as representing the property owner at 3700 Limestone Drive, told council and residents that some technical details are still undecided. “As of today, that number is still undetermined,” Moore said when asked how many gallons the project would use. He described the cooling approach as “a closed loose loop system,” said the site would not use Barberton municipal water for industrial cooling (only for administrative uses such as toilets and kitchens), and said water replenishment would be scheduled to avoid impacts on local wells based on capacity studies.

Moore also said the project would be electrically independent, with on-site generation units powered by liquid natural gas. “There will be generation units on the property, which will be powered by liquid natural gas, and they will be in enclosures so as to reduce, or eliminate noise,” he said, and added that the project does not contemplate large battery storage. He said fuel would be delivered by tanker cars and offloaded, and that the developer would coordinate with the fire department on safety and code compliance.

City staff explained the land-use process and near-term hearings. Mr. Markey, a city staff member, told the meeting the applicant already sought preliminary approval from the Planning Commission and will appear before the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) the next day solely on a requested height variance. “Tomorrow, they go to BZA… the only thing that will be discussed tomorrow night will be the issue of height,” Mr. Markey said. He described the subsequent steps as a return to Planning Commission for final approval and, finally, council action to terminate the existing development agreement and approve a new agreement if council chooses.

Council took a discrete legal/administrative action tied to the proposal at the meeting: it adopted an ordinance that delays the city's contractual right to purchase mineral/mine interests under an existing development agreement while negotiations on the proposed development continue. Council also adopted an emergency ordinance awarding a contract for a culvert repair on State Route 21; that project received a 90% grant that leaves Norton responsible for roughly 10% of the $77,756 price.

Why this matters: The property sits near established neighborhoods. Residents told council they were surprised at the timing and scope of the project and asked for clearer, earlier public information. City staff said further technical reports (noise, groundwater, water-use capacity) and design details will be produced as the project advances and that many questions raised at the meeting would be addressed at later hearings. The administration also said it would work to centralize project documents on the city website.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 77-20-25: Awarded a contract to Kavanaugh Building Corporation for an emergency culvert repair under State Route 21, amount not to exceed $77,756; council adopted the ordinance (roll call recorded as yes from Mister Towsley, Mister DeHartart, Mister Adler, Miss Lee, Mister Mowery, Mister Harbert). The council record indicates the project is 90% grant-funded with Norton responsible for the remaining 10%.

- Ordinance 72-20-25: Authorized the administrative officer to execute an amendment to an agreement with Norton Energy Storage LLC (to delay the city's right to purchase the mine while negotiations continue); council waived the additional reading and adopted the ordinance (roll call recorded as yes from Miss Lee, Mister Harbert, Mister Mowery, Mister Towsley, Mister Adler, Mister DeHartart).

- Ordinance 76-20-25: Declared certain city property no longer needed and was added to the agenda for first reading (moved by Miss Lee; seconded by Mister Mowery). The item was read for first reading; no final adoption occurred at this meeting.

Discussion, unanswered technical questions and next steps

Residents asked for written answers and site-specific studies before decisions are finalized. Mr. Markey and Mr. Lauer, a city staff member, said the Planning Commission, BZA and subsequent Planning Commission hearings will include more detailed presentations and that the council will later act to amend or terminate the existing development agreement that currently authorizes a different use of the mine site.

Council and staff committed to adding project materials to the city website and to producing an FAQ and visual materials such as elevations. Moore said final design, water-usage figures and noise studies are forthcoming as the project design is completed.

What was not decided tonight

No final land-use approvals for the data center were made at the council meeting; the BZA meeting scheduled for the following day was limited to a height-variance request and the broader development approvals remain subject to future Planning Commission and council review.

Quotes and attributions in this story come from the public record of the Norton City Council meeting of Aug. 18, 2025 and are attributed only to speakers identified during the meeting.