Hancock County’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted Wednesday night to deny a request for a zoning change to build a potential data center near Garner. The unanimous vote came during a near-three hour meeting before a standing-room-only crowd. Some three-dozen people spoke during a public hearing, with the majority opposing the data center. Garner resident and former Ventura mayor Doug Merbach says the focus should be on job retention and expanding existing businesses, not attracting a data center.
LeAnn Blanchard says data centers aren’t a good tool to create economic development and growth.
Garner city councilman Darrell Schumacher was one of the few who spoke in favor of the rezoning during the public hearing. He says Hancock County needs the development a data center would bring.
Schumacher cited an article in the publication Farm Journal that showed electric use by data centers in 2023 was four-percent, while projections for 2030 show it at nine-percent.
A limited liability corporation called MCNI asked the county to rezone some 724 acres of Concord Township from agricultural to industrial for the potential development of a data center. The unanimous decision by the Planning & Zoning Commission can be appealed by MCNI to the county’s Board of Adjustment. A company representative said they likely would appeal.
