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Developers pitch three‑building data center in Pataskala corporate park, say site will use closed‑loop water and on‑site generation
Summary
Aligned and Montros Group presented a three‑building data center campus in Pataskala’s industrial PM district, saying the project was scaled back from four to three buildings, a CRA pursuit was dropped, initial closed‑loop DI water fill is ~240,000 gallons, and ~80% of first‑building power would come from on‑site fuel cells tied to a Williams gas line.
Developers representing Aligned told the Pataskala City Council they plan a three‑building data center campus in the city’s industrial (PM) district and emphasized mitigation measures for water, noise and visibility.
David Robinson of Aligned introduced Cardell Andrews and Joe Gianini, who described a project reduced from four buildings to three and said the company voluntarily withdrew pursuit of a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) tax abatement. "We're not seeking a CRA," Robinson said. The team said they have scaled back the site plan and will install an 8‑ to 10‑foot earthen berm and additional landscaping to screen the site from road views.
On water use, Cardell Andrews described Aligned’s closed‑loop cooling system and its initial fill. "For a standard size building, it's roughly about 240,000 gallons of water... it's deionized water," Andrews said, adding that the loop is filled and largely not returned to the municipal sanitary system; potable water needs would be limited to bathrooms and sinks. On routine maintenance he said quarterly strainer maintenance causes a small blowdown "two gallons probably roughly." The developers said the DI water fill is trucked in rather than drawn from the municipal system.
On power and resiliency, Joe Gianini said about 80% of the first building’s power would come from on‑site fuel cell generation; the fuel cells run on natural gas and produce water and carbon dioxide as byproducts. He said the project will tie into a Williams gas line being built along the south portion of the property and that Aligned will be responsible for generation costs rather than placing them in the utility rate base.
Economic claims from the developer: Robinson said the first building’s estimated economic benefit is "over $11 million a year" and that at full build the site could yield "over $34 million annually" in property tax benefits. Montros Group representatives Nate Green and Matt Mallister later provided regional context, explaining different data‑center types and describing tools communities use to capture economic value, including community benefit agreements and assessment authorities.
Council members pressed the team on variances and approvals. Developers said 11 variances were requested, 10 were approved and one was withdrawn; the revised site plan for three buildings is expected to return to the council in a future meeting. Robinson said tree removal for the first building — about 12 acres — could begin immediately because of timing relative to bat season and that they had Ohio EPA approval for the tree work.
Why it matters: the proposal would bring large assessed value to the corporate park and raise questions about water management, noise, visual screening, on‑site generation and how the city captures long‑term fiscal benefits. Residents and council members asked for specifics on routine generator testing, noise studies, light studies and final design for fuel cell equipment.
Next steps: developers said the site plan will return for public review; council members asked staff to ensure required studies and notices are included before any approvals.
