Central Ohio Data
Center Site-Scoring Rubric
Phase 3 deliverable | July 2026
Methodology
Sites are evaluated using the sequential filter
model from national industry practice (Bloom, CBRE, Global Data
Center Hub). A jurisdiction must pass each tier before scoring matters
at the next. Within tiers, scores of 1–5 are assigned; total
scores are only meaningful among jurisdictions that pass all
disqualifiers.
Disqualifiers (automatic
exclusion)
| Tier |
Disqualifier |
| Power |
No AEP/MISO transmission access within 10 miles; no substation
headroom; interconnection queue >6 years with no BYOP pathway |
| Fiber |
>25 miles from major fiber route with no build plan |
| Regulation |
Active moratorium or ban on data centers; statewide ballot measure
passed that bans or blocks >25 MW facilities |
| Water |
100-year flood plain with no mitigation; sole-source aquifer with no
capacity |
| Land |
<50 developable acres for hyperscale; hard seismic/hazard |
Scoring Criteria by Tier
Tier 1: Power (weight:
gatekeeper)
| Score |
Criteria |
| 5 |
Confirmed MW allocation in AEP queue; existing 138kV+ corridor;
MTEP-26 load-growth project earmarked |
| 4 |
Load study filed (PUCO docket); substation within 2 miles;
transmission line visible on AEP maps |
| 3 |
AEP service territory; agricultural land near existing transmission;
no known queue backlog |
| 2 |
AEP territory but known congestion (Franklin County core); pending
DCT tariff compliance |
| 1 |
Edge of AEP territory; rural cooperative power only; no transmission
infrastructure |
Data sources: AEP
Ohio Data Center Tariff, PUCO Case 24-508-EL-ATA, MISO MTEP-26
filings, AEP transmission planning documents.
Tier 2: Fiber (weight: high)
| Score |
Criteria |
| 5 |
Within New Albany International Business Park fiber spine; Ohio IX
proximity |
| 4 |
Within 5 miles of existing hyperscaler campus (fiber follow-on
likely) |
| 3 |
Within 10 miles of Columbus metro fiber ring; along I-71/I-70
corridor |
| 2 |
Rural exurban; fiber build required but feasible |
| 1 |
Remote; no existing fiber; significant build cost |
Tier 3:
Regulation / Social License (weight: high)
| Score |
Criteria |
| 5 |
Pro-data-center ED policy; permissive industrial zoning; no
opposition history |
| 4 |
Neutral; standard conditional-use process; no moratorium |
| 3 |
Considering restrictions; community meetings scheduled; ED active
but cautious |
| 2 |
Active opposition; restrictive zoning under review; moratorium under
discussion |
| 1 |
Moratorium or ban in effect → DISQUALIFIED |
Tier 4: Water (weight:
moderate)
| Score |
Criteria |
| 5 |
Municipal water with excess capacity; not in CORWS gap zone |
| 4 |
Municipal supply adequate; CORWS "Easy Does It" scenario |
| 3 |
Adequate but CORWS "Full Speed Ahead" projects 62 water-supply gaps
by 2040 |
| 2 |
Well water only; Pickaway/Commercial Point WTP constraint zone |
| 1 |
CORWS-identified immediate shortfall; no expansion plan |
Reference: Central Ohio Regional Water Study
(CORWS), 15-County Report, 2025.
Tier 5: Land (weight: lower)
| Score |
Criteria |
| 5 |
>500 acres agricultural; single owner; recent option/LOI
activity |
| 4 |
100–500 acres; industrial-zoned or PUD-eligible |
| 3 |
50–100 acres; rezoning required but precedent exists |
| 2 |
<50 acres; fragmented ownership; brownfield |
| 1 |
Hard disqualifier: flood plain, insufficient acreage |
Jurisdiction Rankings
— Build Probability
Ranked for hyperscale/colocation campuses >25 MW.
Scores are composite (average of tier scores where not disqualified).
Status as of July 2026.
Tier
A — High Probability (active buildout or confirmed pipeline)
| Rank |
Jurisdiction |
County |
Composite |
Rationale |
| 1 |
New Albany |
Licking |
4.8 |
Established hyperscale hub; Google/Meta/AWS/Vantage/EdgeConneX/5C;
fiber spine; AEP power secured; pro-development ED |
| 2 |
Johnstown |
Licking |
4.5 |
AWS operational + planned; Cologix 800 MW AI campus; EdgeConneX
Innovation Campus UC; transmission access |
| 3 |
Hilliard |
Franklin |
4.3 |
AWS operational 144 MW + 250 MW UC; AEP territory; some community
opposition (fuel cells) |
| 4 |
Jeffersonville |
Fayette |
4.2 |
AWS $5B campus (inventory 1,155 MW; AES area load cites ~1.5 GW);
greenfield; fewer moratoriums |
| 5 |
Millersport |
Fairfield |
4.0 |
Vantage 800 MW planned; spillover from Licking County
saturation |
| 6 |
Marysville |
Union |
4.0 |
AWS $1B AI campus UC (IT MW undisclosed); Union County ED active;
Jerome Twp moratorium nearby but permits issued Dec 2025 |
| 7 |
Heath / Hebron |
Licking |
3.8 |
Microsoft Hebron UC (reactivated Feb 2026); near Johnstown
cluster |
Tier
B — Medium Probability (planned but contested or constrained)
| Rank |
Jurisdiction |
County |
Composite |
Rationale |
| 8 |
Dublin |
Franklin |
3.5 |
AWS operational; affluent suburb; increasing scrutiny |
| 9 |
Pataskala |
Licking |
3.5 |
Meta Sidecat 117 MW planned; residential adjacency concerns |
| 10 |
Lockbourne |
Franklin |
3.4 |
Google expansion planned; near Rickenbacker logistics corridor |
| 11 |
Lancaster |
Fairfield |
3.3 |
Google operational; limited expansion room |
| 12 |
Plain City |
Madison/Franklin |
3.0 |
AWS CMH086 operational (25 MW); considering restrictive zoning |
| 13 |
Jersey Township |
Licking |
3.0 |
Smart Farms/Karis permits filed; rural; less opposition than
core |
| 14 |
Wilmington |
Clinton |
2.8 |
AWS $4B campus planned (annexation Aug 2025); overflow market |
| 15 |
Delaware (city) |
Delaware |
2.8 |
Citi 21 MW planned; suburban; no moratorium but cautious |
Tier
C — Low Probability (moratorium, denial, or disqualifier)
| Rank |
Jurisdiction |
County |
Composite |
Rationale |
| 16 |
Sunbury |
Delaware |
1.0 |
Moratorium through Jan 2027; AWS $2B planned but
blocked |
| 17 |
Grove City |
Franklin |
1.0 |
Moratorium enacted Jun 1 2026; expires ~Jun 2027;
Stream/Headwaters blocked |
| 18 |
Ashville |
Pickaway |
1.0 |
Annexation denied Feb 2026; EdgeConneX 680 acres
rejected |
| 19 |
Trenton |
Butler |
2.0 |
250 MW proposed; W.A.T.E.R. opposition; no moratorium yet but high
resistance |
| 20 |
West Jefferson |
Madison |
1.0 |
Resolution opposing large-scale DCs (Feb 2026) |
| 21 |
St. Albans Township |
Licking |
1.0 |
First Licking County ban (Mar 2026) |
| 22 |
Washington Township |
Franklin |
1.5 |
360-day moratorium (after Dec 2025 90-day; still
active as of Apr 2026) |
| 23 |
Jackson Township |
Franklin |
1.5 |
Moratorium on Amazon fuel cells (Hilliard adjacency) |
Tier D —
Emerging / Watch List (permissive, under-radar)
| Rank |
Jurisdiction |
County |
Composite |
Rationale |
| 24 |
Coshocton |
Coshocton |
3.5 |
Aligned Conesville 117 MW; former power plant site; Frontier
Power |
| 25 |
Bowling Green |
Wood |
3.5 |
Meta $800M AI campus planned 2027; training-campus profile |
| 26 |
Lima |
Allen |
3.0 |
Overflow from Columbus saturation (Signal Ohio) |
| 27 |
Conesville area |
Muskingum |
3.0 |
Aligned repurposing coal plant infrastructure |
| 28 |
Madison County (unincorporated) |
Madison |
3.2 |
No zoning in many townships; AWS spillover candidate |
| 29 |
Pickaway (ex-Ashville) |
Pickaway |
2.5 |
AWS 234-acre site; EdgeConneX may reintroduce Ashville |
| 30 |
Fayette County (rural) |
Fayette |
3.8 |
Jeffersonville anchor; additional greenfield likely |
Application Workflow
- Start with AEP transmission map — identify
substations with headroom in MTEP-26 load-growth zones
- Cross-reference county auditor — large recent land
transactions (>100 acres, LLC buyers)
- Check planning portal — rezoning, annexation,
conditional use in Tier A/B jurisdictions
- Scan PUCO dockets — new load study filings in
target counties
- Apply disqualifier screen — remove moratorium/ban
jurisdictions
- Score survivors — rank by composite; prioritize
Tier D watch-list for early signals
Statewide Risk Factor
Conserve Ohio / Ohio Residents for Responsible
Development ballot initiative would add Article II,
Sec. 36a to the Ohio Constitution, flatly prohibiting
construction of any "data center" — defined as
building(s)/infrastructure on a single or contiguous/aggregated parcel
used primarily for digital-info services with aggregate monthly
demand or peak load >25 MW, "however derived from any energy source,
or combination thereof" (i.e. it would also capture
behind-the-meter generation, not just grid draw). The section is
self-executing — no enabling legislation needed if it
passes, a harder ban than a statute the legislature could later soften.
Full text: Ohio
AG initiative-petition filing.
Ohio Ballot Board certified the petition Apr 2, 2026. The measure
missed the November 2026 ballot — organizers gathered
only ~76,626 of the ~413,000 valid signatures required
(10% of the last gubernatorial vote) by the Jul 1, 2026 deadline, ~18%
of goal (Ohio
Capital Journal). Gathered signatures remain valid; organizers are
retargeting the 2027 general election and say campaign
activity continues unabated. If it later passes, Tier A–D rankings above
would be largely superseded for new >25 MW projects — including
phased/contiguous-parcel campuses (the New Albany/Johnstown build
pattern) that individually stay under 25 MW but aggregate above it.