A data center developer is quietly sizing up roughly 127 acres in the Big Darby Creek watershed for a potential campus, and the low-profile move has already put township trustees and conservation advocates on edge. The property, near Cole Road and Amity Road, is crossed by Hamilton Run and bordered by high-voltage transmission lines, an electrical substation, and a railroad. The buyer, an LLC tied to Karis Critical, closed on the land late last year.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Karis Critical CMH LLC paid nearly $2 million for the parcel in December 2024 and told officials in a March 23 letter that the property "has strong characteristics for a data center or industrial development." The Dispatch reports the company is evaluating the land for a data center but has not yet submitted formal rezoning or annexation requests to the city. Even so, local leaders and residents say the possibility has already jump-started conversations about new rules and safeguards.
Site Footprint And Watershed
Franklin County property records and regional watershed maps show Hamilton Run cutting through part of the site, with most of the acreage in unincorporated Prairie Township and about 23 acres in neighboring Brown Township. A Franklin County Auditor property search and mapping layers maintained by MORPC outline parcel boundaries and stream corridors that make this corner of the county especially sensitive from an environmental standpoint.
Why Developers Like It, And Why Neighbors Worry
Access to rail, high-voltage transmission lines, and a nearby electrical substation are exactly the kinds of features that catch the eye of data center builders, and Karis has been assembling land across central Ohio, including a major purchase in New Albany last year. Data Center Map tracks Karis's regional land buys and highlights why developers prize sites with abundant power and rail access. Conservationists, however, warn that dropping an industrial-scale campus into a nationally significant watershed would mean more pavement, more rooftops, and more runoff, a set of worries that has surfaced in recent local coverage by the Columbus Free Press.
Local Officials And The Big Darby Accord
Prairie Township trustees say they are preparing possible regulations in case a formal proposal lands on their desks, although there are limits on what the township can legally stop, trustee Rod Pritchard told The Columbus Dispatch. The draft Big Darby Accord amendment now in circulation maps much of the tract for mixed residential and commercial use at about 12 to 24 dwelling units per acre, according to materials described by the Dispatch. Axios Columbus has detailed the broader Accord update and the public meetings that will help decide how the watershed is managed going forward.
What Happens Next
If Karis moves ahead with a formal plan, the project would trigger rezoning or annexation requests, multiple public hearings, and likely state permits related to stormwater and stream impacts. County records and regional planning guides spell out the review steps for large developments, and state agencies such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources would take part in any technical review of effects on the Big Darby. For now, officials say no formal applications tied to the tract have been filed, and trustees are using the lull to work through their planning options.
Legal And Regulatory Context
The Big Darby Accord is an intergovernmental master plan that sets out a framework for development within the watershed, but does not itself have the force of law; a review panel studies proposals and issues advisory recommendations. BigDarbyAccord.org and recent reporting note that local zoning rules, annexation procedures, and state environmental permits are still the tools that ultimately govern whether any project is approved or limited, and conservation groups want ongoing ODNR studies to factor heavily into those decisions.
