$1.6bn Cleveland Data Center Plan Rejected

Cleveland, Ohio, has turned down Lakeland Equity Group’s $1.6 billion plan to develop a data center campus. Mayor Justin M. Bibb announced on May 14 that the city had denied the permit for the proposed facility, which was planned for a 35-acre site at 3560 E 55th St. Lakeland described the project as Cleveland’s first “state-of-the-art hyperscale facility,” featuring advanced power, cooling, and fiber infrastructure. The intended end user of the campus has not been disclosed.

The proposed site, located in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood, is currently occupied by trucking firm Morabito Enterprises. Lakeland planned to develop a 150MW campus comprising three data center buildings with a combined footprint of 300,000 sq ft (27,870 sqm). In a statement to WKYC, the company said it was “disappointed by this abrupt action by the city.”

“We are considering our options for immediate next steps. We look forward to continuing to work with local government officials and community residents to help everyone consider this important, job-creating project’s merits."