Ohio's Biggest Growth Problem Right Now

What do giant data center projects really mean for Ohio communities?

In this episode of the Dayton, Ohio Living Podcast, Anthony Mahone breaks down the growing push for massive data center developments across Ohio and why more people are starting to question what these projects really mean for the communities around them.

On paper, these projects are often sold as a sign of growth and investment. But once you look closer, the picture gets more complicated. Billions are being poured into these facilities, yet many residents are left wondering who really benefits and what the long-term cost could be for local families, infrastructure, land, water, and power.

Anthony walks through how these deals are commonly put together, including tax incentives, PILOT agreements, and TIF districts, and explains why the public promise does not always line up with the reality communities may face later. He also looks at the bigger trend across Ohio, the small number of permanent jobs many of these developments create, and why these conversations matter before the land is changed and the decisions are final.

This is not just a technology story. It is a story about the future of Ohio communities, how growth is handled, and whether the people who live there now are being heard along the way.

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If you care about where Ohio is headed and want a better understanding of what these projects could mean for Dayton and the surrounding region, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

0:00 Why Data Centers Are Expanding Across Ohio
3:50 What These Massive Data Center Projects Actually Are
4:40 Why Residents Are Starting to Push Back in Piqua, Sidney, and Wilmington
6:30 How PILOTs, TIFs, and Tax Breaks Work
8:18 The Strain on Power, Water, and Infrastructure
9:25 What This Means for Dayton and the Miami Valley
10:50 The Real Future of Growth in Ohio

#DaytonOhio #LivingInDaytonOhio #Ohio #DaytonOhioLiving #datacenter 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Data centers are becoming a huge story across Ohio right now. And here in the Dayton area, this is no longer something that is happening somewhere else. According to regional reporting, you have major projects being discussed and receiving quite a bit of backlash in the city of Piqua area. You have an Amazon building facility that is a $3 billion project happening in Sydney. And another proposal on farmland that has already been purchased by Amazon down in Wilmington. So the real question is not just what is a data center anymore, because we are well past that. But the real question is this actually good for Ohio communities or not? Because once you look closer, this gets a lot more complicated than most people think. By the end of this video and podcast episode, you're going to understand how these deals are actually structured, why people and citizens in these regions are pushing back, and what this could mean for Dayton moving forward. And there's one part of this that almost nobody explains clearly. But once you see it, you won't look at projects like this the same way again. I'm Anthony Mahone. This is the Dayton, Ohio Living Podcast. This is where we connect the dots on what's really happening in the Dayton and Miami Valley regions and what it actually means for your life, your family, and your future here in this region so that you can live smart and move confidently. So this is bigger than one project. I want to zoom out first because this is not just about Piqua, Sydney, Wilmington, but according to statewide data and reporting, Ohio has become one of the top locations in the country for data centers. And there's a reason for that. You've got a central location, you have available land, you have lower cost than coastal market areas, you have strong infrastructure with roads, major highway accesses across the state. And on top of that, Ohio has a formal incentive structure in place that can provide tax advantages for qualifying data center projects. So when you hear about one project, you're really seeing part of a much bigger shift that's happening across the state of Ohio. So how big is this? Let's put some real numbers behind this because once you see the scale, this starts to feel very, very different. According to data compiled by the Ohio Consumers Council, Ohio has over 200 data centers currently operating across the state. Other reports place that number at around 217 as of late 2025. So this isn't new. This has already been happening. But here's where it starts to shift. According to state and regional estimates, there are dozens more in development, and some projections suggest that roughly 70 to 80 additional facilities will be in Ohio by 2030, and close to 100 planned or under construction statewide. So this is not slowing down. This is accelerating. So what is a data center? Let's simplify this. A data center is a massive building full of servers. It runs 24-7, and these servers power the apps that we use on our smartphones, our tablets, our computers. They uh they power, you know, streaming services, they power cloud services for storage, they cloud something that we all use every day right now, and we don't use it, uh, don't understand it, and that is AI, so artificial intelligence. So even though they don't look exciting, they're part of everyday life and almost everything that we use. So now let's let's bring this closer to home. Let's bring this closer to the Dayton, Ohio region because according to local reporting and city documents, several major projects are happening here in the region. You've got a proposed, excuse me, a proposed campus in PICWA. You have Amazon's Project Galaxy in Sydney, which is a $3 billion investment. And I want to, and you've got a large proposed site in Wilmington with farmland that has already been purchased. So let's focus on Sydney for a second. According to Project Galaxy, uh, or according to uh reporting, rather, sorry, Amazon's Project Galaxy is roughly a $3 billion development. This includes a 30-year tax abatement along with payment in lieu of taxes estimated at around $15 million over 15 years. And the project is expected to bring around 75 long-term jobs once operational. Now, pause there for a second because you have a three billion dollar project with only 75 permanent jobs. That's where this starts to feel different. And I believe for the citizens of Sydney, uh Pequa and Wilmington, I believe this is a major concern. I think this is a big, a big reason why a lot of pushback is happening on these projects. And I would love to hear from people that live in and around those regions. Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are on this because this is, you know, this is where people start asking. Does this actually benefit the communities that these are getting placed in? So how does the money actually work? Because um, you know, this is the people that mark most people, you know, the part that most people don't understand. And honestly, it's probably one of the most important parts. When people hear a billion-dollar project, they assume big tax revenue. But according to local deal structures and deal structures that are currently happening in this region, that's not how it always works. You have a thing called TIFF, and TIFF stands for tax increment financing. So when a project increases property value, that increase in tax revenue gets redirected. So instead of it fully going to schools and services right away, it actually goes often, you know, often goes towards infrastructure, utilities, roads that are tied to that project. Second thing is a pilot program. So a pilot program is a payment in lieu of taxes. So instead of paying full standard property taxes, like you and I have to do, the company makes negotiated payments over time. So it's not zero, but it's also not the full normal amount. Those may be paid annually, maybe paid monthly, but those are all negotiable things. But just know that they're not paying the full normal amount. So the truth is according to how these, you know, these deals are structured, they are not simple tax wins. They are negotiated trade-offs for communities. So the the you know, the gains on these projects for tax-wise are not going to be realized for 15, 30, or more years. And even by that point, there may mean there may be a negotiated trade-off even then to keep those tax incentives going. Now, here's the part that almost nobody talks about. But recently in this region was a big topic in the fall and into the winter, and that is utilities and energy. According to industry data and reporting, they require data centers require massive amounts of electricity. These buildings run 24-7 with cooling systems that are operating constantly to keep the servers cool. So when one gets built, it's a major, major demand on the power grid. And, you know, these these companies are supposed to be, you know, taking care of those utility costs. And, you know, but are they actually happening? Is that actually occurring? It's not just electricity either, it's also water. They use significant amount of water for, you know, significant amount of water for cooling, and that's why communities are starting to ask questions as well. And this is where everything starts to connect because you've got tax incentives, you have energy demand, you have land use changes, and you have relatively few permanent jobs. So people start asking, you know, according to what we're seeing, is this the kind of growth that helps communities long term? And real quick, if this is the kind of breakdown that helps you understand what's actually happening in Dayton, go ahead and hit subscribe because this is exactly what we're going to be doing here in this channel. And would love to have you along for our journey talking about all things Dayton, Ohio, Ohio in general. And let me know if there's any videos or topics that you would like me to discuss. I will I read every comment and uh let me know in the comments below. So growth is not just about what gets built, it's about what has to support it. So you have the roads, you have utilities, you have power, you have emergency, you have emergency services. And from my side as a firefighter paramedic, I see how growth can impact systems. And if those systems don't keep up, you're gonna you're going to feel it. So let's step back for a second because according to everything we just walked through, you've got PICWA, you have Sydney, you have Wilmington, and that tells you something. This is a different type of growth. So when you hear, you know, about data centers, don't look at the headline. Look deeper. Look at the deal, the energy, the long-term impact on our region, because this is one of those shifts that doesn't feel big at first, but can shape a region over time. And I believe that that's where we're at in Ohio because it is not going to slow down. I can tell you that these data centers are going to be popping up everywhere because money always wins. There will always be a number that farmers, unfortunately, you know, I'm not going to speak for every farmer, but the the the numbers are going to be so astronomical in the future that we will not, you know, farmers will not be able to, they will not be able to fathom that. And a lot of people who are living in these communities will not be able to fathom that. But if you understand it early, you're ahead of most people in what's going to be happening here and the shift that we're going to see in Ohio and the farmland. So if you're trying to figure out where you fit into the Dayton area picture here, the link to reach me is in the description below. And we would love to have you on this journey with us. And if you have any questions about data center projects, reach out in the comments below. Would love to help you uh understand this project more clearly because this is what's going to be happening in this region over the long term. I read every comment. Reach out below. We'll see you in the next video.