First hurdle cleared for data center that could bring 100 jobs

• A proposed data center cleared its first hurdle with a recommendation from a Pataskala panel.
• The panel recommended the rezoning of 212 acres in the city's corporate park.
• A representative for the applicant said the center could employ up to 100 people.
• The proposal next moves to Pataskala City Council for a vote.

PATASKALA – A proposed data center that would stand in Pataskala's currently vacant corporate park has cleared its first hurdle.

The Pataskala Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday recommended rezoning 212 acres inside the privately owned park from planned manufacturing uses to a planned development district.

With the recommendation, the issue next moves to the Pataskala City Council for a vote.

A Columbus attorney, Jill Tangeman, submitted the rezoning application on behalf of the owners of the property, Red Chip Farms Inc. Tangeman revealed more details about the proposed center at Wednesday's commission meeting.

"It is a national company," she said. "I'm not at liberty to disclose (its name) right now, but it's a name you will recognize."

The data center would bring 50 new jobs to the city in its first phase, said Tangeman, adding that number likely would increase to 100 over time. The jobs would be "technical jobs" paying "six figures," Tangeman said.

Pataskala Planning Director Scott Fulton said Pataskala is not the only community the unnamed company is considering.

"As part of the process, they're looking at other sites as well," he said.

The city usually closes the window for planned development districts after one year if developers do not submit final development plans in that time frame, but the applicant asked for the window to remain open for three years because the company is looking at other locations.

By leaving the window open for three years, Tangeman told the committee the company could select Pataskala in the second or third year if it does not select the city this year.

The property the company is considering in Pataskala stands inside a state-approved Job Ready Site between Mink Street and Etna Parkway, south of Broad Street. It abuts the southern edge of West Licking Joint Fire District's Mink Street station.

Fulton said the proposed center would be housed in two buildings, both with a maximum height of 65 feet.

Backup generators would stand in a walled-off substation on the site, but they would be restricted to a maximum noise level of 72 decibels as measured from the property line. That is akin to the sound a barking dog makes from 50 feet away, Fulton said.

The generators would not run constantly. They would be needed in case of a power outage because the company uses computer servers to keep a national database running at all times, Tangeman said.

Tangeman pledged the center would not be disruptive to nearby residents. It would generate no truck traffic, and there would be plenty of green space between the buildings and nearby neighbors, she said.

"There should not be any negative impacts to this," Tangeman said. "It should be an office-like use."

Fulton added the company would need to meet the city's landscaping, signage, lighting and building requirements. The exterior of the buildings would need to employ earth, muted and natural tones. High gloss, high chroma colors, concrete block and split-faced block would be prohibited, he said.

Employees would access the center off a road connecting to Etna Parkway, according to site plans submitted to the city. There would be no road connecting the center to nearby Mink Street.

No residents who attended Wednesday's meeting raised any objections to the proposed data center, although Mill Street resident John Hohmann did ask some environmental-related questions.

Hohmann said the center could be a "plus for the community," but considering it likely would be a large electricity user, he questioned whether the center would install solar panels to lesson its demand.

Tangeman responded the center would employ solar panels and other forms of energy-saving processes, including recycling water to cool the computer systems.

"This organization works very hard to be a green (company)," said Tangeman, adding the center would be a LEED-certified facility.

As for an existing wetland on the site, Tangeman said the company would preserve it.