Data center coverage in Pataskala, Ohio
4 headlines archived for Pataskala — no documented moratorium or ban on file here yet. See the moratorium tracker for towns that have taken formal action, or the full story tracker to browse every place we're following.
The project on the table
Aligned Data Centers - Pataskala industrial park — Awaiting decision
Operator: Aligned Data Centers · Size: 200 MW · Acres: 89
200 MW campus in three buildings on ~89 acres at Broad St SW & Mink St SW. Planning & Zoning recommended rejection 5-2 after protests filled City Hall; City Council decides Aug 25, 2026 (5:30 p.m.). Council has separately advanced a ballot measure that could ban large data centers.
Next: Heard 2026-08-25; decision pending. Call the board clerk for the vote date and get on the notification list.
Latest in the record
- 2026-08-25 — Pataskala City Council public hearing on the site plan, 5:30 p.m., council chambers - the decisive vote. · source
- 2026-08-03 — Pataskala City Council passed an ordinance placing a charter amendment that could ban large data centers on the November ballot, expediting the vote to meet the Aug. 5 filing deadline for the Nov. 3 ballot. · source
- 2026-06-30 — The Columbus Dispatch reported that Pataskala planning and zoning staff had recommended approval of Aligned's 200-megawatt plan, but the planning and zoning commission voted 5-2 to recommend rejection, sending the decision to City Council's Aug. 25 hearing. · source
- 2026-06-26 — Pataskala organizers reported a petition drive underway to put a charter amendment banning data centers with peak load over 25 megawatts on the ballot, needing at least 310 valid signatures (goal 500) and planning to submit them the week of July 6. · source
- 2026-06-04 — Ohio Free Press reported that residents at the June 3 zoning meeting raised concerns the campus would use Bloom Energy fuel cells requiring roughly 15,000 decatherms of natural gas and cited noise from a comparable Aligned facility in Sandusky, Ohio. · source
- 2026-06-03 — Pataskala Planning & Zoning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend that City Council reject Aligned's site plan, hours after residents rallied on the City Hall lawn. · source
Full dated timeline on the project tracker.
Source. Read 2026-08-07.
What's been reported
4 stories tracked since 2026-08-23 across 4 outlets. 2× A community is pushing back on a nearby data center. 2× Local officials are moving to pause or block the project. Most recent: “Pataskala rejects company's data center proposal in industrial park” (The Newark Advocate, 2026-08-26).
- Pataskala rejects company's data center proposal in industrial park
- Pataskala rejects company's data center proposal in industrial park
- Pataskala rejects proposed data center; voters to decide potential ban in November
- Pataskala City Council hearing Tuesday on data center proposal comes after residents petitioned for a vote to ban such centers
Automated news aggregation, not human-verified — follow each link to the original outlet. Part of the story tracker, 4 headlines archived.
Where the decision gets made
City Council — Zoning and land use (7 members: 3 at-large, 4 by ward). Aligned Data Centers proposed a campus on the city's eastern boundary.
Meets: 1st and 3rd Monday of the month
Where: Pataskala City Hall
Public comment: Citizens' Comments period on regular meeting agendas.
Read from the official page on 2026-08-18. Meeting details change — confirm before you go.
Who votes on it
| Name | Role | Phone | Recorded stance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kip Rooks | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
| Chad Wagy | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
| Tim Hickin | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
| Jude Hampshire | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
| Mary Hite | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
| Deborah Kohman | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
| Brandon Galik | Council Member | — | — | not recorded |
From the locality's own roster page; "not recorded" means no public statement is on file, not neutrality.
What to do next
- Questions to ask at the hearing — force specific answers onto the record.
- Estimate the impact — electricity, water, and rate pressure for any facility size in Ohio.
- Model CBA clauses — copy-paste language communities have actually won.
- Ohio briefing — rates, grid carbon, PUC contacts, and every fight in the state.
Part of the story tracker — automated news aggregation, CC BY 4.0.