Procedural zoning issue addressed at council meeting

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A zoning petition has been refiled for a portion of the Mega Site in Van Wert where the data center will be constructed but outside of a possible short delay, it won’t change anything in terms of the data center being built. 

Local attorney Chuck Koch appeared before Van Wert City Council Monday night and explained that a conditional zoning petition was refiled earlier in the day. He said he represents the Marsh Foundation Board of Trustees and Van Wert East Owners LLC, owners of the part of the Jobs Ready site north of town. According to Koch, their particular property was subject to two different annexation petitions that came to city council in 2025.

“After reviewing the procedural record from last year, we concluded that the most prudent course for the city and the property owners is to simply repeat the process to ensure that every step in the city code is clearly reflected in the record,” Koch stated.

That means the zoning petition will go before the Van Wert City Planning Commission, which is expected to meet later this month. If approved by the planning commission, a public hearing would be held before city council votes on it, which could occur at council’s first meeting in May. However, repeating the process likely won’t result in a different outcome because of a pre-existing pre-annexation agreement that has been in place since 2014. The new process is considered procedural.

“Based on the 2014 pre-annexation agreement, where all the parties agreed to I-2 zoning for the Mega Site as approved by prior city councils, this action simply ensures procedural accuracy,” Van Wert Area Economic Development Executive Director Brent Stevens said Monday night. “The best approach is to redo each step wtih properly recorded time stamps and minutes. No changes to the I-2 zoning will occur — it just documents it correctly.”

In other business, council a “then and now” invoice for Wallace Plumbing for $8,163 for necessary repairs at the fire station was approved, and council members approved an ordinance that would allow for the construction of a new traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. 127/Bonnewitz Ave/Brooks Ave. That intersection could become a roundabout in 2030.

A resolution to repeal a 1975 ordinance requiring the city to have a parks department committee had the first of three readings. It’s believed such a committee was never formed.

Instead of going to second reading, an ordinance granting a 50-year franchise agreement with Ohio Power Company, also known as American Electric Power, was tabled. Fourth Ward Councilman Eric Hurless expressed concern about the length of the agreement and suggested it be reduced to 20 years with a mid-term review. Among other things, he suggested charging the electric company a three percent franchise fee based on gross revenue. A representative of AEP is expected to be invited to a future council meeting to speak about the agreement, and more discussion is expected.

Before adjourning, council members went into executive session to discuss personnel.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 23, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.