CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter to the chairman of the city’s Planning Commission, offering guidance on how Chillicothe’s Unified Development Code could address future data center development.
The letter, addressed to Planning Commission Chair Jeff Carman, was sent on behalf of the Chamber’s nearly 800 investor businesses, according to a news release. The Planning Commission has not yet received a formal assignment to review code changes related to data centers, but the Chamber said it wanted to get ahead of the conversation by sharing ideas drawn from other communities that have faced similar proposals.
The move comes after Chillicothe City Council adopted an emergency zoning moratorium on data centers amid resident pushback over the industry’s water and power demands.
The letter outlines a dozen considerations for the commission, including requiring independent, applicant-funded expert review of water, noise and power impacts; setting real limits on water use, including peak-day and peak-hour caps rather than annual totals alone; spelling out consequences if a facility exceeds its water, power or noise limits; and establishing a plan to repair or address damage to roads, homes or public resources caused by construction or operations, the release said.
“This isn’t about saying yes or no to any particular project — it’s about making sure Chillicothe has strong, clear rules in place before we need them,” Mike Throne, president and CEO of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “Our members want to see this community capture the economic opportunity that comes with responsible growth, and they also want assurance that our infrastructure, property values and quality of life are protected. Getting ahead of this now, while there’s no active proposal on the table, gives the commission the most room to get it right.”
The Chamber said it stands ready to support the Planning Commission’s work going forward, including gathering additional input from local businesses or helping convene broader community conversations as the code review moves forward. The full letter is available upon request, according to the release.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce.
