Resident urges Twinsburg council to delay data-center zoning changes, citing Loudoun County example

At the Sept. 23 Twinsburg City Council meeting, resident Lori Fasina urged the council to table three agenda items related to data-center zoning and to revisit how the code defines "data center." Fasina, speaking during the public-comment period, said she was ‘‘proud’’ of the council’s earlier prudence and argued that a vague or broad D (data center) definition could permit very large or industrial-scale facilities that she called ‘‘hyper data centers.’’

Fasina referenced materials and photographs from Loudoun County, Virginia, as an example of what she described as problematic development adjacent to Dulles Airport, and she criticized a planner’s notes and a citation to outside materials in the packet. She urged council members to handle the issue "on the front end" to avoid having to "go clean up again." Fasina also said property values could be harmed and that many residents oppose the changes as drafted.

Council members did not vote on the three items (Ordinances 84 and 86 and Resolution 85) at this meeting; the items were announced as being passed over for later consideration. The transcript records no formal response from staff or a point-by-point rebuttal to Fasina’s concerns during the public-comment period.

The council's actions on these zoning items are likely to return to a future agenda; residents and stakeholders who raised concerns at this meeting should monitor upcoming Planning Commission and council agendas for updates.