Your Questions, Answered

This page answers common questions about the Elliott Road property, future industrial development, data centers, the proposed moratorium, and zoning review. The site is positioned for industrial use, not one specific type of facility. Any future project, whether a data center, manufacturing operation, warehouse, or another industrial use, would need to follow local zoning requirements and address impacts such as water, power, traffic, environmental risk, public safety, and fit with nearby property.

Data center questions are included because residents are asking them, not because a data center has been approved or is ready to move forward.

The central issue is not whether every data center, or every industrial project, should be approved. The issue is whether Defiance should keep the ability to review actual proposals based on facts, standards, public input, and enforceable commitments. A responsible project should have to prove itself before moving forward. A moratorium could close that door before the details are known.

Data Center Overview

  • A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It generally includes redundant power supplies, data communications connections, and security devices. 

  • No. Data centers vary by size, operator, cooling system, water use, power strategy, backup generation, site layout, and local requirements.

    In previous years, data centers were built based on demand and location, without consideration for proper standards or resource impacts. As a result, older facilities are frequently cited in environmental reports and online discussions as examples of the industry’s negative environmental impact. However, those legacy facilities do not accurately represent the next generation of data center development.

    Modern, clean-tech data centers have been fundamentally redesigned to integrate sustainability into their operations from the outset. Newer facilities incorporate advanced technologies and management practices that significantly reduce water use, resource consumption, and impacts on the electrical grid. In many cases, these improvements reduce previously significant resource impacts to near zero. As a result, today’s data centers can operate as a highly efficient, technology-driven industrial use that bears little resemblance to many of the older facilities built in previous years.

  • Data centers are being built because demand for computing power has exploded. Data centers are required for things we all use every single day like cloud storage, social media, online banking, and webservices like Microsoft or Google.  

Water, Electricity, & Noise

  • Data center design has grown increasingly efficient and self-sufficient. Improved monitoring systems allow site managers to specifically target power to areas of need, and improved efficiency in chips and cooling methods require lower resources than past models. As a result, the proposed Defiance data center would use less than 400MW of power from sources including grid upgrades that would be paid for 100% by the developer.

  • Modern data centers use closed loop cooling technology that significantly reduces water usage compared to older data centers. Modern data center water usage is comparable to a standard office park, significantly less than other industrial uses. For example, Vantage’s Wisconsin data center, which transitioned to closed-loop cooling, will use 22,000 gallons of water per day, primarily for uses like bathrooms. Under previous designs, a campus of their size would use 5 million gallons per day. 

  • Closed-loop cooling circulates water through the system instead of using it once and discarding it. A data center in Defiance would use closed-loop cooling and reuse the same water continuously.

  • That depends on the project. Any applicant would identify the water source, estimated demand, reuse plan, discharge plan, and monitoring requirements. The developer’s studies for the Defiance site support a mix of grey water from the existing Defiance wastewater facility and city water to the extent capacity remains available without impacting the city’s water requirements. Modern Data center projects have been upgrading city water facilities, building new water towers, and upgrading infrastructure. These upgrades would otherwise be unavailable to communities without tax increases. Developer-funded infrastructure upgrades represent a significant positive impact for a community.

  • Potentially, if infrastructure and engineering allow. The developer has undertaken a water quality study at the Defiance wastewater plant and is considering using some wastewater for the project. Any future project would need to identify the water source, treatment process, reuse plan, reporting requirements, and applicable local standards.

  • No. The City will provide the amount of water it is prepared to sell to a data center, similar to how it sells water to new home subdivisions. If that capacity is not sufficient, the end user would need to work with the City to identify available sources of water or upgrades to the existing systems to provide necessary water. A closed-loop system uses significantly less water than prior designs.

  • That would depend on the project design and permits. Typically, water discharged for annual maintenance only is discharged onsite in holding ponds. The water discharged into onsite holding ponds has fewer bacterial organisms than when the potable water entered the closed-loop system. Any proposal should identify whether water is reused, treated, discharged, or managed through another system.

  • Residents have asked about pollutants, emissions, backup generation, water use, noise, and long-term health impacts. Those questions will be answered through project-specific review.

  • No. Power bills are going up across the country due to necessary infrastructure upgrades to a power grid which has not been updated in 50 years in some places. Data centers, as large users on the grid, help pay an outsized rate for those infrastructure upgrades, which has actually driven power bills down in some areas, per research from groups like the Electric Power Research Institute. 

  • Yes. Thanks to improved engineering techniques, data centers are consuming less water and less power than past data center designs and other industrial users. Comparable industrial centers like the proposed First Quality paper plant have requested up to 10 million gallons of water per day. Closed-loop cooling systems in modern data centers use significantly less water. In many cases, new data centers have set goals to become water positive. To meet this goal, have contributed funds to support wetland and erosion control efforts in local watersheds to assist in generating more and cleaner water for the community.  

  • Modern data centers are significantly quieter than earlier generations thanks to advances in engineering and equipment design. Facilities now use technologies such as liquid cooling and closed-loop cooling systems that reduce the need for large, high-speed cooling fans. Where on-site power generation is used, modern natural gas reciprocating engines are housed in acoustically engineered enclosures with advanced mufflers and silencers, making them substantially quieter than older generation equipment. AI-driven building management systems continuously optimize cooling, power generation, and equipment operation, allowing systems to run only when needed and at the lowest practical output. Combined with sound barriers, insulated buildings, and strategic site design, these innovations typically result in property-line noise levels of approximately 45–55 dBA, comparable to normal conversation or a household washing machine. 

    We are not aware of any data center that operates constantly at 70dBA. Projects using reciprocating systems fluctuation in the 45-55dBA range. The industry aims to continue to lower these readings through internalization of noise-generation equipment. These noise levels are within the standards for typical industrial corridors and below levels being experienced at other existing industrial uses in Defiance.

Jobs, Taxes, & Community Benefits

  • Local employment increases 4-6% following construction​. Each data center job creates an additional 2.5 jobs. New supply chain needs and increases in local spending mean local businesses will grow and new businesses will come to town. 

  • A responsible project will be evaluated based on who benefits, who bears the impacts, and what commitments are made before approval.

  • The stated position for this discussion is that large-scale data centers should not receive tax abatements. If a company invests in Defiance, it should meet local standards and pay its full share.

  • Data centers can be capital-intensive and may generate significant property tax revenue estimates as high as $8 million annually, depending on the project. That number is an estimate, not a guarantee.

  • Job impacts vary by facility. Construction activity is often stronger than long-term operational employment. Reports suggest that 2.5 jobs are created in the community for every data center employee. Employment contributions to the local economy will be evaluated alongside taxes, infrastructure, and community impacts.

  • Community Benefit Agreements or similar tools can make commitments enforceable before construction begins, including roads, utilities, water, noise, environmental protections, public safety, workforce, and local hiring.

Current Status

  • No. There is no approved data center, and no specific developer is attached to the Elliott Road site. Data centers are part of the conversation because residents have raised questions about them, not because one is pending.

  • The Elliott Road property has been prepared for future industrial use. Because the property is part of the public discussion, this FAQ explains why zoning and project-specific review matter.

  • No. A data center is one possible industrial use that has been discussed publicly, but the site is not limited to that use.

    Any major facility will be reviewed for zoning compliance, utilities, drainage, roads, noise, environmental risk, taxes, emergency services, and compatibility with nearby property.

  • The Elliott Road area is part of the City of Defiance’s broader planning discussion for future growth. The City’s comprehensive planning materials identify future land use, zoning, infrastructure, and economic development as key areas for guiding where growth should occur.

    The Elliott Road property has been prepared as a viable industrial site within that planning context. The goal should be to keep the site eligible for responsible industrial opportunities while requiring any applicant to meet local standards.

    The current discussion is broader than data centers. It is about how any future industrial project on this site would be reviewed, conditioned, and held accountable before moving forward.

Zoning & Local Review

  • The concern is that a moratorium answers the question before there is an actual proposal to evaluate. Zoning, public review, permit conditions, and enforceable agreements are better tools for deciding whether a specific project should move forward.

    This does not mean every project should be approved. It means Defiance should protect residents, preserve opportunity, and require a responsible project to prove itself on the merits.

  • The concern is not that the community is asking questions. Those questions are fair and should be answered. The concern is that a moratorium could close the door before the questions are answered through a specific proposal, public review, and zoning standards.

    The better approach is to preserve the ability to evaluate responsible opportunities on their merits. If a project cannot meet local standards, it should not move forward. But that decision should be made after facts are known, not before evaluation begins.

  • A moratorium can send a signal that a community is willing to rule out future investment before specific facts are known. That signal may affect more than one category of development.

    Defiance can protect residents and preserve future opportunity by setting clear standards and evaluating actual proposals instead of using a broad pause before details are available.

  • No. Opposing a moratorium means supporting project-specific evaluation through zoning, public input, current facts, and enforceable standards. It does not mean a data center has been proposed, is imminent, or should automatically be approved.

    The community should ask tough questions, require answers, set high standards, and evaluate actual impacts before deciding whether a project should move forward.

  • Zoning is the better tool because it lets Defiance set standards, require facts, take public input, and hold applicants accountable before decisions are made.

    Zoning keeps the focus where it belongs: on facts, standards, accountability, and whether a specific proposal meets the expectations of the community. A moratorium can close the door before those facts are known.

    For official information about proposed zoning language, conditional use requirements, approval authority, enforcement, meeting dates, and public comment opportunities, residents should refer to the City of Defiance’s official website and public meeting materials.