Pataskala planning commission tables 89‑acre data‑center site plan after hours of public and commissioner questions

The Pataskala Planning & Zoning Commission on Feb. 4 tabled a plan‑manufacturing application (PM25001) for an approximately 89.4‑acre data‑center campus after more than three hours of staff and applicant presentations, commissioner questions and dozens of public commenters.

City staff described the proposal as four large data‑center structures on the southeast corner of Broad Street and Mink Street, with associated utility yards, parking and two electrical‑utility areas expected to be designed by AEP. Staff said the parcel contains about 1.85 acres of wetlands and that some variances previously requested by the applicant had been withdrawn. Staff also noted remaining engineering items—grading/cross sections, interior screening and stormwater calculations—and that applicant‑requested electrical and fuel‑cell layouts would be submitted to the city administratively after a site‑plan approval and would also require state review where applicable.

The applicant, represented by Joseph Gidi and members of the Align team, walked commissioners through renderings, a berm and screening plan and technical summaries of operations. The applicant said the campus…