WCPO 9's Stephen Knobel covers Butler County. If you have a story that you'd like Stephen to look into or a news tip, email him at stephen@wcpo.com
TRENTON, Ohio — A Trenton group opposed to large-scale data centers says it has taken the next step in its effort to limit future developments in the city.
Members of the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance (W.A.T.E.R.) filed a petition Tuesday with the Trenton Clerk of Council that would prohibit new data centers larger than 25 megawatts from being built within city limits.
Organizers said they needed 128 signatures to file the petition. Instead, they submitted 464.
"Since our city doesn't want to listen to us, we have to take it into our own hands and let the citizens take action," said Barry Blankenship, a member of W.A.T.E.R.
The petition follows months of debate over large-scale data centers in Trenton, where residents have repeatedly packed City Council meetings to voice concerns about issues including nearby neighborhoods, schools, water use and infrastructure.
WATCH: Trenton group files petition to limit future data centers
Those concerns intensified as Project Mila, a Prologis data center development, received city approval and moved into construction.
Even if the petition ultimately qualifies for the November ballot and voters approve it, it would not affect Project Mila because that project has already been approved. Instead, organizers say the proposal is intended to prevent future large-scale data centers from being built in Trenton.
"It's not anti-data center. It's anti where they're putting it," Blankenship said. "It's close to neighborhoods. It's close to a school."
The filing also comes just days before another major land-use decision.
On Thursday night, Trenton City Council is scheduled to consider annexing roughly 600 acres from St. Clair and Madison townships into the city. While the agenda does not identify a specific development, the property has been publicly rumored to be connected to another potential data center project.
The city will now review the petition and verify the submitted signatures before determining whether the proposed measure can move forward toward the November ballot.
The City of Trenton declined to comment.
Blankenship said W.A.T.E.R. hopes Trenton's effort is only the beginning. The group says it is working with residents in Hamilton and Middletown on similar initiatives and hopes to see comparable efforts spread across Butler County—and eventually throughout Ohio.
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