Scioto County leaders are considering a major economic development project that could reshape the county’s future—and place it alongside neighboring Pike and Lawrence counties in a growing regional push toward a data center and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
On Wednesday, Scioto County Commissioners formally notified Green Local School District and the Scioto County Joint Vocational School District of a proposed tax abatement tied to a $1 billion data center development. The proposed facility would span roughly 500,000 square feet and could receive a 75% property tax abatement for 15 years.
In exchange, the developer would make annual payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) beginning at $500,000 per year, with additional payments tied to how much of the facility is ultimately built out. Commissioners also secured a good-faith commitment that local workers and trade unions would be used during the construction phase.
Commissioners are expected to share more details at Thursday’s meeting, with public comment welcomed during meetings on January 8, 15, and 22, ahead of a planned vote on January 22.
A County Waiting for a Win
The announcement comes after years of uncertainty for Scioto County’s economic development efforts, which have remained largely stalled following the Horton–Davis economic development scandal. For months, commissioners have hinted publicly that “big news” was coming—raising expectations that the county might finally be turning a corner.
If approved, the data center would represent one of the largest single private investments in county history.
Not Just Scioto: A Regional Shift Is Underway
Scioto County is not alone.
In Lawrence County, Houston-based Strata Expanse recently launched a pilot project aimed at attracting AI-driven businesses through a new “Land-to-Hand” data center model. The concept is designed to make data center capacity faster and easier to deploy at a time when space and power availability have become major bottlenecks nationwide.
“We want to attract companies that are data center tenants,” said Strata Expanse Chief Revenue Officer Ellen Taylor. “Right now, finding data center base is very difficult.”
The Lawrence County project includes modular facilities built by California-based Livio, which can be assembled up to 75% faster than traditional construction. Power is supplied through a system developed by Millennium Reign Energy, which converts excess wind and solar energy into hydrogen for storage, later turning it back into electricity through Utah-based Empower.
The goal: reliable power without driving up local utility rates, while training residents for AI-related jobs that go well beyond coding—such as data labeling, model testing, and system oversight.
Pike County: A Second Life for a Historic Site
Meanwhile, a separate data center proposal is quietly moving forward in Pike County, at the site of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Much of that project remains under a nondisclosure agreement, but filings indicate the company involved is New Day Data Centers, registered in Ohio last August.
The site—owned by the U.S. Department of Energy—is undergoing long-term environmental cleanup after decades of uranium enrichment operations. As sections of the land are remediated, officials have been eager to see them returned to productive use.
From a practical standpoint, the location checks many of the boxes data center operators look for: large, flat tracts of land, existing utility corridors, and separation from residential areas.
Why Data Centers Matter—And Why They’re Controversial
To many residents, data centers are invisible buildings that don’t employ hundreds of workers once construction ends. That has fueled criticism nationwide, alongside concerns about energy use, water consumption, tax abatements, and whether communities are “giving away” revenue.
But data centers have become critical infrastructure, similar to power plants or rail hubs.
They support far more than image generators, social media posts, or deepfake videos. Data centers power:
- Emergency dispatch and 911 systems
- Hospital records and diagnostic AI
- Banking and fraud detection
- Weather modeling and disaster response
- Manufacturing automation
- Logistics, shipping, and supply chains
As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday systems, demand for secure, domestic data processing is skyrocketing.
Built Somewhere—The Question Is Where
Whether local communities approve them or not, data centers are being built—and fast. The larger question facing counties like Scioto, Lawrence, and Pike is where that infrastructure lives.
If not built in the United States, companies increasingly look overseas, raising concerns about data security, national resilience, and reliance on foreign power grids. Hosting these facilities domestically keeps control, oversight, and economic benefits closer to home.
For Appalachian Ohio—long defined by lost industries and missed opportunities—the sudden interest from data center developers signals a shift that could redefine the region’s economic identity.
The coming weeks will determine whether Scioto County becomes part of that future—or watches it pass by again.
