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Residents urge Franklin County Commission to put data-center rezonings to a countywide vote, allege conflicts
Summary
Hundreds of Franklin County residents urged commissioners to refer two proposed hyperscale data-center rezonings to a binding countywide ballot, raised environmental and farmland-loss concerns, and alleged potential conflicts of interest involving local commissioners; commissioners declined to answer detailed questions during the public-comment period.
Hundreds of residents told the Franklin County Commission during a public-comment session that proposed hyperscale data centers would threaten farmland, water resources and rural character and urged the commission to send rezoning decisions to a binding countywide ballot.
The most direct demand came from Corbett Shannon, who asked commissioners to "place a binding question before the voters of Franklin County on the ballot" and alleged unresolved conflicts of interest involving local developers and elected officials. Shannon also urged the commissioners to "vote no on Provident, vote no on Beltline" and to fill a vacant township seat before moving forward.
Why it matters: Residents said the projects would transform hundreds of acres of agricultural land, create extraordinary electrical and…
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