City Council has been publicly discussing the Logistix project since 2024. The project has received various city approvals, but still cannot move forward until a pair of impact studies are completed and reviewed. Even then, more approvals and discussions would need to take place.
The studies would determine the impact a data center could have on Hamilton’s electrical grid and determine the necessary improvements needed to deliver the amount of power required by a yet-to-be-identified end user.
This project proposes a two-story building with a 160,000-square-foot footprint, according to city documents. One of the studies is expected to be completed in December, while the other is expected to be completed in March.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
The city in November 2024 approved Logistix to build a data center at 1380 University Blvd., just northeast of Miami University Regional in Hamilton and west of South Hamilton Crossing. Earlier this year, Logistix requested an extension for its zoning request due to the studies.
The project would take up around 15 acres of a total 29-acre site, which is now mostly wooded and owned by the city.
One of the concerns some residents have is the impact it could have on rates. City leaders said it wouldn’t impact the pocketbook of any resident.
The city put out a frequently-asked-questions post on the city’s website and Facebook page. While Hamilton resident Raquel Fantoni appreciates the information, it has only increased her concerns.
“I see a lot of vague promises of benefit and a lot of assurance about mitigating concerns without getting data to substantiate these claims,” Fantoni told council. “I am not against profit, but I am against profiting off harm to Hamilton residents, and I have yet to be assured that this could be prevented.”
There are more than 4,000 data centers across the country, and 191 are in Ohio, according to DataCenterMap.com. There are pros and cons of data centers, according to New York-based McKinsey and Company, a strategy and management consulting firm. They offer large economic development gains: nationally, companies will invest nearly $7 trillion on data center infrastructure by 2030. However, there are tradeoffs, according to McKinsey and Company, such as high-power demands and water usage (for cooling).
Fantoni admitted to not being that familiar with local and state environmental regulations, but said federal guidelines have not slowed data centers from populating the landscape across the country. She’d like the city to tell the public more about the safety protocols.
“I think they (the data center developer) want us to listen to their unsubstantiated promises, so I appeal to you to please listen to us and to protect us,” she said.
City Manager Craig Bucheit said they are still gathering information on this project, but said one thing was clear to the developer: the city won’t supplement or abate the development on power and infrastructure costs.
“From the outset of the conversations, when we were approached about this contract, we made clear to the developer that they had to pay their own way,” he said, adding they’d have to pay for any surveys, any necessary infrastructure and for the power to be delivered. “That was done intentionally because we wanted to ensure that our local customers, their rates, are not supporting this project.”
Hamilton has made significant investments in its power system. The city uses natural gas and hydroelectric power to produce electricity for residents and businesses. Bucheit said this project would not be funded on the backs of the city’s residents or its electric customers. And Hamilton electric customers’ bills should be trending down after City Council in March 2024 revised electric rate ordinances (which were effective in April 2024). That action decreased the average residential electric by more than 4% in 2024, according to the city.
“I know some of those answers are kind of vague, but it’s the best information we have right now,” Bucheit said. “As we have more conversations, we’ll know more, we’ll update that information.”
Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, city staff and council received several complaints, comments and questions, and staff had seen misinformation being spread on social media.
Councilmember Tim Naab said the city is collecting comments from the community and told Wednesday’s audience“You’ll all be the first to know should any traction become of this, whether it becomes viable or not viable for the city of Hamilton, for our city, for your utilities, for what we have in the future, for what we might not have in the future.”
Though Logistix has not announced any end user, it brought on Wharton and Lighthouse as the lead developer and formed the Wharton Cincy DC LLC.
“At this time, the project remains in its very early design stages, and construction is much further off than suggested,” said Wharton Cincy DC partner Ronald Uretta, referencing some inaccurate reporting by other media outlets. “We are committed to working closely with the city of Hamilton throughout their established approval process, ensuring full compliance with all regulations. We strive to be great neighbors, and we value the feedback and questions put forth by residents so far.”
Uretta said, as the project progresses, “We will have the opportunity to share more details and engage with the community to address any remaining questions or feedback.”
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