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Morrow County to hold informational forum on large industrial development after data‑center land‑use briefing
Summary
County planning staff briefed commissioners on data centers and transmission infrastructure, public concerns and possible comp‑plan policy options; commissioners asked staff to plan a public forum with factual materials, maps and stakeholder participation.
Morrow County planners and commissioners discussed how to inform residents about large industrial development — particularly data centers — and agreed to prepare an informational public forum and materials to explain land‑use processes and mitigation options.
Planner Tamara Mbett opened the session by listing community concerns commonly raised in recent outreach: changes to community character, land speculation and rezoning, water quality and quantity, construction traffic, facility retirement and the proliferation of transmission lines. She walked the board through interactive maps of the county’s industrial zoning, recent rezones and an overlay zone established for a limited set of data‑center sites.
"A lot of these transmission lines ... are being built to provide power to the data centers," Mbett said while showing a map of local transmission corridors and substations. She emphasized that permitting for transmission and for large industrial projects are separate processes and that cumulative impacts — including new generation and lines — are part of the bigger picture local residents have raised.
Commissioners and staff discussed outreach formats ranging from listening sessions and town halls to station‑style forums with subject‑matter tables and real‑time audience polling. Several commissioners urged a hybrid approach: present factual slides about how land‑use decisions work, outline what the county can and cannot control, and then offer stations or a moderated Q&A. Participants suggested inviting the port, utilities and developers to participate so residents could ask specific technical questions about water, wastewater and power capacity.
The board asked staff to coordinate an informational forum and to prepare materials that include: an overview of the county permitting process (mock scenario of an application), maps showing suitable locations and overlays, and objective technical information on water and transmission availability. Staff estimated the earliest feasible timing would be mid‑June to July, allowing time to assemble stakeholders and outreach materials.
Ending: Commissioners agreed to move forward with staff planning an informational forum and developing education/outreach materials; no formal policy change or vote on rezoning occurred.
