By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
More acreage has been submitted for rezoning in the area bordering the data center project underway in Middleton Township.
The request was filed by Liames LLC, the same firm that filed to rezone the acreage on which the Meta data center is being constructed, bordered on the south by Ohio 582, on the west by Ohio 25, and on the east by Mercer Road.
The application requests the rezoning of 13 parcels totaling approximately 32 acres from residential and agricultural to M-1 industrial zoning. The purpose cited on the application is for “construction logistics.”
According to Wood County Planning Commission Director Dave Steiner, the 13 parcels are already owned by Meta.
The acreage is all north of Route 582, with eight parcels lining the east side of Route 25, previously sites to homes and a strip of motel rooms, Steiner said. The five other parcels sit along the west side of Mercer Road, and previously had homes on them.
The rezoning request will be considered Tuesday (June 2) at 5:30 p.m., by the Wood County Planning Commission.
While zoning change requests in cities and villages are decided by municipal bodies, the process in unincorporated areas (townships) goes through an extra step.
The requests are first filed with the township where they are located, which then sends them to the county planning commission. The planning commission listens to testimony and votes to recommend approval or rejection by the township.
The power rests with the township. The request next goes to the township zoning commission, which makes a recommendation to the township trustees – who rule in favor or against the change.
After the township trustees make a final decision on the zoning request, those opposing the change have 30 days to circulate a petition to put the issue up for a public vote in the next general election.
The county planning commission’s meeting on June 2, will be held in the county commissioners’ hearing room on the fifth floor of the county office building in Bowling Green.
Other items on the agenda next week include selection of projects to be funded by the 2026 Community Development Block Grants, a subdivision request for preliminary plat approval extension of Riverbend Lakes, and a series of text amendments to the Webster Township zoning resolution on items such as solar power language, non-conforming uses, accessory buildings, fences, agritourism and drainage.
Public comment will be accepted on all the agenda items.
Following a county planning commission meeting in January that turned into an angry shouting match at times with nearly 150 citizens voicing concerns about the data center project, new rules were adopted at the commission’s March meeting.
Those rules require people wanting to speak to give their name and address, limited them to three minutes each, and noted that those offering repetitive comments will be asked to move along. The rules are similar to those used by many governmental entities.
