Rossford’s Planning Commission has approved a special use permit and preliminary site plan for a proposed data center on Lime City Road, moving the controversial project one step closer to reality — just three days after residents packed a Nov. 9 City Council meeting urging the city to slow down rezoning that could allow it.

The Nov. 9 meeting centered on ordinances 2026-68 and 2026-69, which could open the door to heavy industrial uses including a data center. And the fight is regional: on Nov. 3, voters across Northwest Ohio approved citizen-led ballot measures limiting data centers, Whitehouse and Waterville are pursuing 10-megawatt caps, and Genoa voters rejected a data center on 430 acres.

For neighbors, this is a pocketbook fight. Residents worry a data center would drive up electric bills and strain local infrastructure. Supporters point to tax revenue and jobs.

The project now advances despite the opposition. We covered the packed Nov. 9 council meeting here.

Photo: BalticServers / Wikimedia Commons — illustrative photo of a data center server room.

Source: 13abc (WTVG), Nov. 12, 2026