Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident warns AEP's planned transmission line could signal data‑center development
Summary
A Plain City resident told council an 11‑mile AEP transmission line that would cross farms and Big Darby Creek and serve a single 700‑megawatt customer strongly suggests a data center and urged the council to consider health, community character and environmental impacts when writing zoning rules.
At the start of the meeting's public‑comment period, Julia Faith identified herself as a resident south of Plain City and told the council she was "extremely concerned about the impact that these facilities have on the health of our fine citizens, the character of our community, and the beautiful environment that we are so fortunate to enjoy." She said AEP has planned an "11 mile transmission line project that cuts across dozens of farms and will cross Big Darby Creek."
Faith told the council she had met with farmers who are "very concerned with what will happen if the AEP project proceeds" and that the planned line and a single 700‑megawatt customer strongly indicate a data‑center build. "Given that the AEP project is planned for 1 customer with a 700 megawatt demand, you can be fairly confident that that is likely a data center," she said, and asked the council to keep that possibility in mind as it considers restrictions for data centers in the village.
The mayor acknowledged the comment and later in the meeting asked staff about whether data centers could be required to provide on‑site generation or other energy responsibilities, with staff advising that related rules could sit in zoning or in the power/utility code depending on state policy developments.
