#data-centers

Cleveland City Council introduced an emergency ordinance declaring a moratorium on zoning permits, certificates of occupancy, and utility permits for data centers citywide. The measure — filed April 24, 2026 as File 556-2026 — signals mounting concern over the power demands, water use, and neighborhood impact of AI-era computing facilities.

Avon City Council passed Ordinance 37-26 as an emergency measure imposing a one-year temporary moratorium on all new data center development citywide, running through April 14, 2027. Council cited rising developer interest and said the city needs time to study state codes and draft comprehensive local regulations covering data-center land use, water, and power demand.

H5 Data Centers filed a $250,000 permit to demolish storefronts along Emerald Court and build a decorative screen wall on Saint Clair Avenue, expanding the generator yard at its 1625 Rockwell Avenue data center campus in Ward 8.