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Council adopts technology overlay to UDO; supporters say it’s a planning tool, opponents warn of data-center impacts
Summary
The council approved a technology overlay to the Unified Development Ordinance intended to structure review of future technology projects. Supporters called it a zoning and planning tool; residents and activists warned it clears an initial hurdle for projects they say include a proposed 'Project Ruby' data center.
The Columbus City Council on June 16 voted to adopt a technology overlay amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance intended to establish standards and procedures for future technology-sector development, including large-scale data centers, robotics facilities, and other similar projects.
City Attorney and planning staff described the overlay as a zoning and planning instrument, not an immediate authorization for any particular development. Councilor Glenn Davis emphasized that the vote authorizes an overlay and additional review conversations, not project approvals. ‘‘What we're talking about today is a vote for a UDO…not a vote for a data center,’’ he said, and noted planning recommended adding a 500-foot buffer in some cases.
Council discussion acknowledged a suite of future regulatory steps: regional impact studies, site plan reviews, utility and infrastructure analyses, environmental and decommissioning provisions, and potential conditions returned to planning. Several council members recited a list of protective conditions they would demand before approving any specific data-center application, including enforceable construction restrictions, decommissioning rules, and clear written investment commitments.
Public comments were sharply divided. Several activists and residents, including Teresa Elamine of the Southern Anti-Racism Network and other speakers, accused developers and economic development partners of moving quickly and called for a moratorium. Elamine referenced a project she called ‘‘Project Ruby,’’ described in public comments as a proposed multibillion-dollar hyperscale data center backed by Habitat Real Estate Partners and promoted by Choose Columbus; she said adoption of the overlay was the first regulatory hurdle cleared for such a project. ‘‘Project Ruby does exist…they just cleared the first hurdle, the UDO,’’ she said.
Other residents and council members urged continued public engagement and signaled that future applications would face detailed review. Councilor Charmaine Crab clarified that the overlay is broad—covering technology industries beyond data centers—and said it creates an opportunity for layered, project-specific conditions. The ordinance passed after discussion and a hand/voice vote.
Next steps: If an applicant seeks to build a technology project in the overlay area, it will move to planning and the standard series of reviews and public hearings; council members said they expect to see site plans, regional impact analyses, and potential protective conditions before any project approval.
