According to DCD, the Wilmington Planning Commission in Ohio has unanimously tabled the site plan for a massive Amazon Web Services data center campus. This decision, made on January 15 after a three-hour meeting, marks the second delay for the project, following a postponed vote in November 2025. The planned $4 billion development on a 471-acre site off US 68 would create at least 100 permanent jobs with an $8 billion annual payroll and include a $25 million investment in public infrastructure. Commissioners cited incomplete traffic and lighting studies, missing details on water pipelines, and “non-answers” from Amazon representatives, including on the use of PFAS chemicals. The move was consistent with city staff recommendations, putting the high-profile project on hold indefinitely.
Local pushback meets cloud giant
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just a minor bureaucratic hiccup. A three-hour meeting ending in a unanimous vote to table the project sends a clear signal. Local officials aren’t just rubber-stamping a big tech investment because of the dollar signs. They’re actually reading the fine print—or, in this case, noticing where the fine print is missing. When a planning commission says a company’s answers are mostly “non-answers,” that’s a pretty damning indictment. It suggests Amazon might have walked in expecting a easy win and instead found a community asking tough, specific questions about traffic, water, and forever chemicals. That’s a different kind of welcome mat.
Amazon’s Ohio bet
So why is AWS pushing so hard in Ohio? The state is a cornerstone of its US East infrastructure. AWS already operates a major region there with three availability zones, and in late 2024, it pledged a staggering $23 billion investment in Ohio by 2030. The Wilmington campus is just one piece of a sprawling puzzle that includes planned campuses in New Albany, Sunbury, Fayette County, and more. It’s a classic hyperscale land grab: secure the land, power, and water rights now to fuel the AI and cloud computing boom for the next decade. But this strategy relies on smooth sailing with local governments. When that doesn’t happen, it throws a wrench in a very expensive, tightly scheduled machine.
The broader implications
This delay in Wilmington is a case study for the entire industry. Data center developers are facing more scrutiny than ever. Communities are wiser to the massive water and power demands, the traffic from construction, and the potential environmental trade-offs. They want real answers, not corporate talking points. For a project requiring robust industrial computing infrastructure at its core—from cooling systems to power distribution—this level of local oversight is crucial. It’s a reminder that even the most advanced facilities depend on fundamental municipal approvals. And if a giant like Amazon can get tripped up by incomplete paperwork and vague answers, it sets a precedent. Every other developer looking at the Midwest is watching this closely. Will communities hold the line, or will the promise of jobs and tax revenue eventually win out? Only the next meeting on January 15 will tell.
