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Local Officials Tighten Data Center Rules
Coverage from The Repository, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and others
Communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania are weighing large data center proposals against concerns about electricity, water, wastewater, noise, emissions, and proximity to homes.
Canton approved a proposed 75% property tax break for 30 years for an Amazon-backed, 240-megawatt campus, while Massillon is developing stricter siting and utility certification rules and Plymouth Township continues to review a contentious 2-million-square-foot project. The developments show local governments balancing construction and tax-base benefits with demands for enforceable operating limits, infrastructure assurances, and greater public control.
Canton’s Amazon-backed campus moved from review to local approval of its proposed 30-year tax break. The story also broadened into Pennsylvania, where a contentious 2-million-square-foot project introduces new emissions and neighborhood-impact disputes.
The story has shifted from general local rulemaking around data centers to a more concrete set of pending decisions, including a specific ballot initiative in Perry Village and explicit moratoriums in some Stark County townships. It also adds more detail on the Amazon-backed project and the proposed Province, Group campus, making the regulatory timeline and project consequences clearer.