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Residents urge stricter limits, moratorium as Plain City holds public hearing on data center zoning
Summary
Dozens of residents at Plain City Council’s public hearing urged larger residential and watershed setbacks, independent environmental study and a moratorium on data-center approvals as the council opened a proposed data-center chapter (ZC-26-20) for first reading.
Plain City held a lengthy public hearing on a proposed data-center zoning chapter (ZC-26-20), where residents raised concerns about noise, water use, air emissions and long-term community impacts. Thomas McDaniel, who identified himself as an avid kayaker, asked the council to “increase that setback in the big derby and a shorter, height allowance,” saying the river’s scenic and recreational value would be harmed if tall, industrial data-center facilities are sited nearby.
Multiple speakers urged tighter protections than those proposed in the draft. Penny Shanky, who introduced herself as a software engineer, criticized the draft’s setbacks and urged a pause for independent study: “I do like AI, but I do know the dangers of AI and a lot of the stuff that it can bring with it between, like, the noise,” she said, and later asked the council to consider a two-mile residential buffer and strict water-use caps. Other residents raised technical questions about power and water capacity, stormwater runoff and emergency diesel-generator testing; James Lawrence pressed the council to add monitoring for cumulative effects on the village’s utilities and environment. Council members acknowledged the concerns, said staff and planners would pursue regional coordination with ODNR and EPA, and scheduled further action and possible amendments for the council’s June 22 meeting.
