An Ohio truck driver who lives near a proposed $5 billion Amazon data center has helped advance a township-wide ban on such facilities; a November 10 hearing could become the project’s next major obstacle
A local truck driver who lives half a mile from a proposed $5 billion Amazon data center in Butler County, Ohio, has led a community campaign that could stop the technology giant’s major expansion. Barry Blankenship, a resident of St. Clair Township and a key organizer with the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance group, has led efforts to block the large computing project. A major hearing scheduled for 10 November before the Butler County Rural Zoning Commission is the latest important challenge facing the development. The proposed project, planned by Amazon Web Services, would include an 18-building data center spread across 600 acres of farmland between Wayne Madison Road and Hawkins Road.
Township zoning commission pushes for data center ban
Opposition to the multi-billion-dollar project reached an important stage when the St. Clair Township Zoning Commission passed a resolution calling for a complete ban on data centers within its zoning area. The recommendation was then sent to the Butler County Rural Zoning Commission, which scheduled a public review for 10 November at 3:00 p.m. While the county commission reviews the proposal, the final decision will belong to St. Clair Township’s three trustees. They will hold a later public meeting to cast the final vote. The campaign against large computing facilities reflects growing concerns among local residents about water use, noise and pressure on public utilities. People opposing the project say the data center could threaten local groundwater supplies and the electrical grid. They also worry about pollution from backup generators used to keep the facility running.“They couldn’t give me any good answers, and I tell you what, I don’t want them here,” Blankenship said during a recent public information meeting, as reported by local public radio station WVXU. Other residents have also spoken out about the size and possible effects of the development.“We’re not opposed to growth. We’re not opposed if it was a warehouse or something that doesn’t suck your water dry, that won’t burn your electric up… [that] won’t make all the noise, and when they fire up the generators, all the pollution and everything,” said local resident Joe Deaton, who lives near the proposed site, in comments published by WVXU. “We just don’t want this.”
Amazon campaign meets voter resistance
As public opposition continued to grow, Amazon Web Services held a “science fair” at Edgewood Middle School in October 2026. The event was designed to share environmental studies and project details directly with nearby residents. Company representatives said their goal was to provide clear information rather than influence public opinion. However, the company’s information campaign did little to reduce growing opposition to data centers across the region. During the 3 November 2026 elections, voters in nearby Trenton approved a charter amendment banning data centers larger than 25 megawatts. The measure passed with 80 percent support, according to unofficial election results reported by WVXU. The opposition in Butler County is part of a wider change across Ohio. At least 14 municipalities and townships across the state approved local restrictions or bans on large data centers during the November 2026 elections, according to media outlet Fortune.Higher electricity bills and the large amounts of power needed to run artificial intelligence infrastructure became major concerns for voters supporting these restrictions. The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association disagreed with claims that data centers directly lead to higher electricity prices for household customers. Amazon, meanwhile, said its long-term investment plans in the communities where it operates had not changed.
Legal and annexation hurdles build up
The fight over the 600-acre property has also become more complicated because of changes to municipal boundaries and disagreements over attempts to annex the land. The City of Trenton had earlier considered bringing the proposed site into its city limits by annexing the land from St. Clair Township. This would have helped make room for the Amazon Web Services data center. However, local opposition grew stronger. Residents, including Blankenship and leaders of activist groups, organized petitions and other public campaigns against the move. Following this pressure, Trenton withdrew its annexation request before the scheduled public hearings, according to the City of Trenton’s municipal council meeting minutes.With the annexation plan on hold and Trenton voters strongly supporting limits on large data centers, the proposed development remains subject to St. Clair Township’s zoning rules. The county zoning hearing scheduled for 10 November will consider whether the township’s proposed ban meets local land-use requirements. If the county commission approves the restriction, the three St. Clair Township trustees will hold the final vote on whether to make it official. If approved, the ban could effectively stop Amazon’s $5 billion data center project at its proposed location.
