Wilmington Council holds first reading on Amazon data center deal; Knowles casts lone ‘no’ vote
WILMINGTON, Ohio – Wilmington City Council held a first reading Thursday night on a set of agreements for the proposed Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center campus at 1488 S. U.S. Route 68.
Ordinance O-25-73 outlines a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreement and a related compensation agreement between the city, Amazon Data Services Inc. and the Clinton County Port Authority.
The data center campus would span 471 acres and represents a $4 billion investment by AWS. The project includes a minimum of 100 permanent jobs during the 30-year CRA agreement and more than $25 million in infrastructure upgrades, including new sewer trunk lines, water main improvements and road improvements on U.S. Route 68 and State Route 730.
Clinton County Port Authority Executive Director Alex Beres addressed several of the concerns raised by residents during the Nov. 25 special meeting, including noise limits at the project site, lighting requirements, and the buffer and berm planned around the site.
According to Beres, the project must meet a 55-decibel requirement, which he described as “very soft noise.” He added that no rooftop fans are proposed for the data center. The development must also meet a 0.00-foot-candle lighting limit at the property boundary, meaning no light can spill past the edge of the site. To help mitigate noise, the data center campus will have a 500-foot buffer from nearby homes and a 40-foot berm within that buffer.
Beres emphasized that neither the Port Authority nor the city selected the site.
He said, adding,
This site was looked at, contemplated and acquired by a willing buyer from a willing private seller,
“This is a free-market democracy where people own property and can make those decisions. We don’t make those decisions on behalf of anyone.”
Beres said many of the studies residents have asked for come during the development agreement and site plan review, and officials have discussed adjusting the order of those steps to provide more clarity.
Council President Matt Purkey clarified that he had misunderstood recent calls for a moratorium, saying he believed residents were referring only to CRA agreements, not to pausing the broader approval process.
He also said he supports a revised approval sequence that would place traffic, noise and other studies between the CRA and a development agreement.
Council member Jamie Knowles outlined a wide range of questions for Beres and Economic Development Director Josh Roth, including the nondisclosure agreement council signed, problems reported in Hilliard after its CRA with Amazon Web Services (AWS), and what studies have – or have not – been completed for the Wilmington site.
He asked the Port Authority to “explain the full timeline from start at the site to finish,” and raised concerns about the chemicals used in the cooling process, the city’s wastewater treatment capacity, how AWS would handle fires at the data center campus, and how the city would enforce noise, lighting and environmental standards over time.
Knowles also questioned how the data center’s water and electric demands would affect residents on peak-use days.
He asked,
Who will the demand affect?
”The community? Will it be first come, first served? Will the community have more importance to water or will AWS?”
Service Director Mike Crowe addressed concerns raised by an article emailed to a council member that linked data centers to nitrate contamination in communities that get their drinking water from wells. He said Wilmington does not rely on groundwater wells and instead draws from the Caesars Creek and Burtonville reservoirs, where source water nitrate levels range from 1.3 to 3.0 parts per million, well below the EPA’s 10 milligrams-per-liter limit set for drinking water.
Crowe said any wastewater from the data center’s cooling process would require pre-treatment before entering the city’s wastewater treatment plant. AWS would also need a pre-treatment permit from the city, ensuring the discharge does not exceed EPA effluent limits or the treatment plant’s design limits for nitrate removal.
Knowles again asked how much water AWS would use on its highest demand days, but Crowe said he could not reveal that figure while negotiations continue.
Roth said AWS has been coordinating with the Ohio Department of Transportation on roadway improvements around the site. The company has already completed draft traffic impact studies, which engineers have reviewed twice. Roth said a final version will go to the planning commission and is expected to address issues such as construction traffic.
He added that AWS will also donate right of way for a future extension of Ahresty Road – an improvement not required for the data center but secured while negotiations were underway.
Because the CRA offers a 100% property tax exemption for 30 years, approval from Wilmington City Schools was required under state law. The board had veto power but ultimately agreed to the compensation agreement to prevent losses in state aid.
Under the CRA agreement, the City of Wilmington would receive 46.7% of the PILOT payments, Wilmington City Schools would receive 43.8%, Laurel Oaks Career Campus would receive 4.5% and the Clinton County Port Authority would receive 5%. The PILOT revenue is unrestricted, so the city and schools can use the funds for general operations.
The agreement also includes a one-time $1.85 million community benefit payment.
Roth said the $4 billion AWS data center project would likely create a “significant spinoff effect” during its construction period, from providing work for skilled trades to increased business for restaurants and downtown businesses.
He said,
At five plus years of construction schedule, it’s likely we’re going to see new businesses invest in Clinton County as a result of this project,
The development and water use agreement for AWS is still being finalized, with Roth hoping to have a final draft ready for council’s Dec. 18 meeting, along with a tax-increment finance proposal for the 471 acres. AWS is also targeting the January 2026 planning commission meeting for site plan review.
Roth said,
We may have an opportunity actually to proceed with planning commission before a development agreement, and to make the approval of planning commission also contingent on a development agreement, so that council ultimately has the final voice,
He also noted that if AWS were to sell the data center to a non-affiliated company, the city could review the new owner and choose to terminate the CRA. Non-compliance with the CRA could also trigger termination and a three-year clawback.
Following the presentation, the council moved to the first reading of the ordinance. Under the Ohio Revised Code, a first reading introduces legislation and begins the required three-reading process before a final vote can occur.
“I’m not sure that we’re ready to vote on this yet,” Knowles said before the vote. “I don’t know that we’ve got enough information to actually make a vote.”
Purkey said the discussion and first reading were important steps in showing residents where council members stand as they continue to gather information from the Port Authority.
Council member Josh Schlabach made the motion to have the first reading.
Schlabach said, adding that he still wants answers on long-term impacts, clawbacks and other protections,
I do think this information can keep coming to us as we proceed through this process,
Council member Kelly Tolliver seconded the motion.
Council members David Nanstad, Schlabach, Michael Snarr, Tolliver and Don Wells voted yes. Knowles voted no. Bob Osborn abstained.
Purkey said he assumed the council would discuss further votes later, then turned the floor over to Knowles, who wished to explain his dissent.
Knowles said,
The community was not ready for this vote,
“I think we should have left it one more time.”
Knowles added that he felt “totally disrespected” by his fellow council members, noting the council should have discussed whether to table the ordinance.
Knowles said,
Not one person asked – not one – if there was any more discussion on whether we should table this until next time,
“I am actually going to close my mouth right now before I say something that I will regret. But I really totally feel disrespected right now. I’m at the point where I’m ready to walk out.”
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Wilmington Council holds first reading on Amazon data center deal; Knowles casts lone ‘no’ vote, source
