Resident Spearheads Movement to Ban $5B Amazon Data Center

A rural Ohio township moves to block Amazon

A single resident in St. Clair Township is leading a movement to prevent a $5 billion Amazon Web Services data center from being built in his community, according to reporting from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

John Glenn, a 37-year-old truck driver and member of the St. Clair Township Zoning Commission, is spearheading a resolution to ban data centers from the township’s land. The proposed measure aims to protect the rural character of the area, which is home to approximately 6,600 people.

The conflict centers on a planned 18-building data center campus spanning about 600 acres just south of Trenton. While the city of Trenton recently saw residents vote overwhelmingly on Nov. 3 to ban the facility from city limits, the project could still proceed if it remains within the neighboring townships.

Zoning changes could halt the project

On Oct. 13, the St. Clair Township Zoning Commission voted unanimously to support a zoning amendment that would prohibit data centers from being built in the township. Under the proposed language, data centers would be barred as a principal land use in all zoning districts.

“No such facility shall be authorized as a permitted, conditional, or planned use development use.”

the amendment states.

The resolution moves to a hearing before the Butler County Planning Commission at 3 p.m. on Nov. 10. While the commission will make a recommendation, the final decision rests with the township’s three elected trustees.

Resident Spearheads Movement to Ban $5B Amazon Data Center

Wanda Jones, a township trustee, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that she supports the residents in their opposition and is “standing behind a ban to protect our community residents and the wildlife in the area.”

Glenn, who has lived in the township since 2023, said his motivation shifted from personal concern to a broader community interest. He initially worried about noise and traffic affecting his two young children, but later began considering the impact on all local families.

“We’re not against the township growing or businesses coming in,” Glenn told the Enquirer. “It’s just we want to make sure it’s a business that’s good for everybody in the community, not just a handful of people.”

Economic promises versus local pushback

The debate highlights a tension between massive infrastructure investment and local land-use preferences. Proponents of the development have pointed to the potential for economic growth and job creation.

The city of Trenton previously estimated that the data center campus would generate at least 120 full-time jobs and provide $15 million in revenue for the city and Edgewood City Schools. However, broader economic data offers a different scale of impact.

Research from the MIT Center for Real Estate indicates that data centers typically create between 1,000 and 1,300 new jobs in their host counties. These positions—primarily in technical services, real estate, warehousing, and transportation—generally appear about two years after a facility opens.

Entity/Source	Projected Impact/Detail
Trenton City Estimates	120 full-time jobs; $15 million revenue
MIT Center for Real Estate	1,000 to 1,300 jobs per county
Amazon Site Size	Approximately 600 acres
Amazon Investment	$5 billion

Amazon Web Services has not directly answered questions regarding whether it will proceed with the 18-building project outside Trenton or how it will respond to new restrictions in other municipalities like Sunbury, Ohio. In a statement to the Enquirer, an Amazon spokesperson said the company appreciates the chance to discuss the benefits of its investments and remains committed to “setting a high bar for responsible data center development in Ohio.”

Local leaders express surprise at sudden opposition to negotiations

The sudden intensity of the opposition has surprised some local leaders. Trenton Mayor Ryan Perry noted during an Oct. 15 council meeting that negotiations with neighboring townships had been ongoing for nearly six months without clear signals of total opposition.

“No one spoke up,” Perry said, referring to an earlier meeting with county and township officials. “It could have died in the county that first meeting. We could have saved a lot of money and a lot of negotiation time if we had been aware of that.”

The project’s future now depends on whether the Butler County Planning Commission and the St. Clair Township trustees move forward with the zoning restrictions that would effectively render the 600-acre site unusable for Amazon’s current plans.