Xenia council introduces one-year moratorium on data centers to study zoning and impacts

The Xenia City Council on June 11 introduced a one-year moratorium on data-center construction and operations within the city, citing a desire for time to study zoning, utility and environmental impacts.

City Manager Merriman told council that data centers have proliferated across Ohio and “have not historically been considered within the particulars of our zoning code.” He said the moratorium would give staff time to evaluate zoning options, draft potential conditions, and wait for state and federal guidance to mature.

Council discussion centered on the scale and local impacts of different types of facilities. Councilwoman Muskiewicz said smaller data centers “use electricity, negligible water” and support local businesses, while larger installations can be energy-intensive: “What we’re most concerned about… is the ones that consume 20 megawatts of power,” she said, noting that such a facility can be multiple times the electric load of a single large local building and raises concerns about water consumption, noise and heat.

A motion to amend the draft moratorium from six months to one year passed on a council roll-call vote. Following the amendment, the council voted to introduce Ordinance 2026-22 as amended; the ordinance will return for a potential vote at the council’s June 25 meeting, when staff is expected to present further detail.

The law director advised members that, if the council proceeds, the moratorium would temporarily halt new data-center projects while staff and council consider zoning changes and coordinate with state/federal conversations. No final regulatory language or exceptions was detailed during the introduction, and the ordinance as introduced is a stop-gap measure to allow further study.

Next steps: staff will return with proposed ordinance language, recommended zoning conditions and any state-level developments before the June 25 meeting.