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Fairfield County officials announce Vantage Data Centers plan, promise jobs and infrastructure investments
Summary
Commissioner Jeff Hicks and county economic-development director Rick Zabrak said Vantage Data Centers is proposing a multi-building campus near Millersport that could include up to seven data centers, create "hundreds of jobs," guarantee $17 million to the community over 15 years and pay roughly $50 million for water and wastewater upgrades.
Commissioner Jeff Hicks and Rick Zabrak, the county's director of economic and workforce development, described a proposed Vantage Data Centers campus near Millersport that officials say could reshape parts of northeastern Fairfield County.
"We've been talking for years about our fight against generational poverty here in Fairfield County," Commissioner Jeff Hicks said, introducing the project and noting the county's broader work on housing, transportation and daycare. He asked Zabrak to summarize the proposal.
Zabrak said the project would be Vantage's second Ohio campus after New Albany and "could be as large as 7 different data centers." He acknowledged common concerns that data centers can strain the electric grid and not produce many local jobs, but said this development "will bring hundreds of jobs ultimately" and that many would be "six-figure jobs."
On power, Zabrak said the site would be powered by a behind-the-meter plant using existing natural-gas pipelines, a setup he said would avoid burdening the regional electric grid and could even add electricity back into the area over time.
County officials said they are offering tax incentives to attract the developer while negotiating community benefits. Zabrak gave a guaranteed-minimum revenue figure of $17,000,000 to the community over the first 15 years if the campus does not build out fully; he said if the campus reaches seven data centers the county could receive "tens and tens of millions" more, funds that he said would help local schools, cover village costs and support the Walnut Township fire department.
Hicks and Zabrak also discussed utility upgrades. Zabrak said the developer plans to invest about $50,000,000 up front to construct a new wastewater plant and make improvements to the water plant so future housing and development can connect without imposing those capital costs on local taxpayers.
Zabrak framed the site as a stabilizing economic anchor for the Buckeye Lake and Millersport region, which he said depends heavily on tourism. He said part of the developer's funds would go toward repairing the canal, which he estimated would need about $4,000,000 to fix.
Officials said they do not yet know which customers will use the facilities; Zabrak described Vantage as a third-party operator that would host clients but did not identify specific tenants. The county also said it will require that data centers bring on-site power before moving forward.
The briefing concluded with Hicks thanking county staff and village officials for their work on the proposal. No formal vote or contract was announced at the briefing; officials described financial guarantees and infrastructure commitments they expect from the developer but did not provide a construction timeline or announce an identified anchor tenant.
