Pataskala planning commission recommends against Align Data Centers site plan after hours of testimony

The Pataskala Planning & Zoning Commission on June 3 recommended that City Council not approve Align Data Centers’ site-plan (PM-25-00001) for a multi-building data center campus at the southeast corner of Broad and Main Street.

Commissioners and staff spent hours on technical testimony, hearing from Align and its consultants about noise and heat-rejection modeling and from more than a dozen residents who urged denial or delay. Staff summarized the application: the applicant reduced an earlier four-building concept to three buildings, has pledged not to seek local property-tax abatements, says it will petition to join the local Joint Economic Development (JED) district, and has submitted an AP Ohio letter dated April 19, 2025 indicating conceptual ability to serve the load.

Why it mattered: residents and commissioners raised repeated concerns about long-term noise, low-frequency “hums,” cumulative air emissions from on-site generation and emergency diesel generators, water and potential contaminants, and the reach of state permitting (substations/fuel cells). Align presented two technical tracks: acoustical modeling by Trinity Consultants that used dBA metrics (the city code’s standard) and a heat-rejection (CFD) set of models run by Align’s engineering team. Align’s team said routine operations and periodic generator testing largely meet the city’s noise threshold (60 dBA at the property line), and that their heat-dome simulations for a single 72 MW building projected modest temperature uplifts at 1,000 feet in the scenarios shown (for example, about +0.1°F in one wind scenario and roughly +2°F in a conservative summer scenario). The applicant also described a closed-loop deionized cooling system that it says will not discharge to municipal systems in normal operation.

But the commission and many residents said the submitted simulations and lab-based equipment data did not answer cumulative or multi-building questions and urged independent verification. Residents cited recent litigation and state-level controversies elsewhere over on-site fuel-cell arrays and emergency-generator emissions; several called for a moratorium or for additional independent studies and cumulative monitoring. The city staff and Align both emphasized that some elements — notably fuel-cell/substation final design and related state permitting — occur outside the local review and would be handled later by state regulators (Ohio Power Siting Board, Ohio EPA for some air permits).

The vote: A motion on the floor to recommend approval with four staff conditions failed on roll call (two commissioners voted yes and five voted no). The commission’s failure to recommend approval will be transmitted to City Council, which will schedule its own public hearing and make the final decision. Staff said council notice will go to properties within 300 feet of the site before that hearing.

What the applicant said: David Robinson, Align’s local representative, told the commission the project meets current code for a site-plan recommendation and that Align had reduced its footprint, is not seeking CRA abatements and has committed to certain community benefits, including a pledge to join the JED. Align’s consultants reiterated they used conservative assumptions and established industry standards; acoustical experts noted the code is written in dBA and that occasional emergency conditions can exceed limits but are commonly treated differently by regulation.

What’s next: The commission’s recommendation — for denial — now goes to Pataskala City Council for a public hearing and final action. If the council approves the plan, any material changes to the approved site plan would require a return to the commission as part of the permitting process; if the council denies it, Align could revise and resubmit or pursue other avenues. The commission discussion also prompted staff to note an ongoing internal review of PM (plan-manufacturing) district standards so the city can address larger questions about hyperscale facilities in the PM zone.

Sources: Commission staff reports and presentations, Align Data Centers’ project team, consultant acoustic and CFD presentations, public commenters who spoke at the June 3 hearing.