Apr 14, 2026 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
Data center developer Karis is looking to build a data center on the Big Darby Watershed in central Ohio. In a letter penned by Karis and published by Prairie Township authorities, the company said that it was in the “preliminary stages of evaluating this property for potential development.”
“The site we purchased has characteristics that make it a strong candidate for data center or industrial-related development. It shares a border with a railroad, it has 345kV high-voltage transmission lines running through the site, and it is adjacent to an AEP electric substation,” reads the letter.
Residents and local authorities have raised concerns that the proposed data center could impact the Big Darby Watershed, a freshwater ecosystem spanning six counties in central Ohio. Karis said the project “would meet or exceed all local, state, and federal environmental, sustainability, and land use planning requirements.” No formal application has been submitted, and details around the facility’s size or capacity have not been disclosed.
