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Resident warns lost deals in Lodi tied to limited electric capacity, commissioners seek proactive fixes
Summary
A Medina County resident told commissioners a 26-acre commercial parcel lost a $700,000 cash sale because adequate electric service was unavailable; county staff and commissioners said utility policies and data center demand are constraining grid upgrades and blocking industrial prospects.
Resident Stan Scheetz told commissioners that electric-grid constraints in the Lodi area caused a prospective buyer to withdraw from a $700,000 cash transaction for a 26-acre commercially zoned parcel and cited a second lost opportunity involving a regional trucking firm. Bethany Dentler acknowledged capacity constraints at Lorain-Medina Rural Electric (LMRE) and explained that LMRE's policy places the cost of upgrades on prospective users; she said JobsOhio's Site Inventory Program can help when developers co-invest but that those grants have been difficult to secure.
Commissioners noted data center development is absorbing available grid capacity and that well-resourced data center developers often receive priority access. The board expressed interest in anticipating infrastructure constraints to preserve local economic opportunities and said it will explore options to address grid limitations affecting site readiness.
