Canton City Council voted 7-4 on Monday to approve community reinvestment area agreements granting 75% property-tax abatements to three proposed data centers, capping months of public debate over whether the deals serve the city or mainly the corporations building them. Council members Chris Smith, Robert Fisher, J. Nate Cooks and Richard Sacco voted against the abatements, while Frank Morris was absent from the meeting.
The vote, first reported by The Canton Repository, covers data center sites at Millerton Street and Central Avenue SE, Georgetown Road NE, and Trump Avenue and Orchard View Drive SE. Two of the three projects will receive 30-year abatements, while the third gets a 15-year abatement, according to the report. One of the projects is set to rise on the former Ford property off Georgetown Road.
Canton's economic development director, Peter Zahirsky, said a $250 million data center would typically generate roughly $4 million a year in property taxes before any abatement, per the Centre Daily Times. The facility proposed by DAMAC, which spans 800,000 square feet, is expected to carry a somewhat lower estimated tax bill than that $4 million benchmark, the outlet reported.
What the City Says It's Getting in Return
Instead of full property taxes, developers will make service payments in lieu of taxes under the agreements, and those payments are estimated to deliver $62.5 million to the city over 30 years. Council member John Mariol II said that without the community reinvestment area deal, the city would have collected only about $11 million in property tax over the same 30-year span, according to the Centre Daily Times.
Those same figures turned up independently in reporting from News-Talk 1480 WHBC, where Mayor Bill Sherer framed the math plainly: “That's a total of $62.5-million, versus the 11-million that the city would see in property taxes.” WHBC's account, however, described the abatements as having received second readings with final approval expected the following week — a timeline that differs from the Centre Daily Times' report that council had already voted to approve them.
The station also identified the specific projects by operator, reporting that two hyperscale centers — one across from Republic Steel and one at Millerton Street and Central Avenue SE — would be operated by Amazon, while DAMAC would develop and operate the smaller facility at Trump Avenue and Orchardview Street SE. Mariol said developers would cover the cost of infrastructure improvements and that Canton has adequate water capacity to serve the new facilities, and he noted the centers must comply with the city's existing noise regulations, per the Centre Daily Times.
Who Benefits, and Who Says They're Losing Out
Whether Canton Local Schools and Canton Township come out ahead is itself disputed. The Centre Daily Times reported that the schools and township will receive new revenue from the sites, even though they'll collect less than if the properties were fully taxed. WHBC's reporting took a different view, stating that the Canton Local School district and township are among those losing out on property-tax revenue because the properties sit within the school district. The agreements also include clauses requiring removal of diesel tanks and e-waste if a company shuts down operations, the Centre Daily Times reported.
Mayor William V. Sherer II said the projects were thoroughly vetted to protect residents and neighbors. Council member Bill Smuckler said he believed the tax breaks and negotiated deals were positive for the city, crediting the mayor and the majority leader with working to secure jobs, revenue and community benefits.
Farmers and Council Critics Push Back
Canton residents have protested the data center projects for months, and the objections came through clearly at the meeting, which council members opened with a public presentation before the vote. Sam and Anita Smith, whose farm abuts the Millerton Street and Central Avenue SE site, raised concerns about pollution, noise, traffic, zoning, property values and their own income. Anita Smith specifically opposed the 75% tax break.
Resident Skylark Bruce argued the abatements are likely a bad deal for the city, the school district and community members, saying the corporations and their leaders are not from Canton and are chiefly looking to profit from the projects. Councilwoman Chris Smith said she had spoken with neighbors in her ward who did not want data centers in their community, adding that Ward 4 residents had already endured Republic Steel in their neighborhood for years.
Council member Robert Fisher said most people in his ward did not want the data center projects either. He said the negotiated deal looked good on paper but that he was waiting to see whether developers would actually follow through, adding that he did not trust billionaires to be kind to Canton while they sought millions of dollars in tax cuts.
Jobs Pitch From Business and Labor Groups
Supporters argue the projects will support economic development in Canton. Jeff Dafler, president and CEO of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, backed the tax breaks and said the data centers could bring economic development and community improvement to the area.
Each data center site is estimated to create about 650 construction jobs, with the three sites together projected to generate 150 to 200 permanent jobs citywide once operating, according to the Centre Daily Times. Erik Hann, business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 540, said union workers were securing more work every day at all three sites and that the projects encourage entry into the trades through apprenticeships.
Canton's Deal Fits a Statewide Pattern
Canton's abatement terms line up with how these deals typically work across Ohio. Local governments in the state usually grant data centers 75% property-tax abatements lasting 15 to 30 years, according to Signal Ohio. An industry-backed report cited by the outlet found Ohio data centers received $2.5 billion in state and local tax incentives between 2017 and 2024, and the state has separately committed at least $2.3 billion in sales-tax exemptions for the industry, Signal Ohio reported in a related analysis.
That same analysis found affiliates of Google, Meta and Amazon are each set to receive $600 million in Ohio sales-tax exemptions distributed over a 40-year window ending as late as 2058. Smaller operators have also landed significant breaks: Cologix is set to receive $93 million spread across two facilities, Vantage $83 million, and QTS Data Centers and Microsoft $73 million each, per Signal Ohio. A survey by Scioto Analysis found that 23 of 37 Ohio economists agreed local property-tax abatements are an effective tool for attracting new data-center development in the state.
Canton's three approved projects are part of a broader wave; since July, developers have announced three hyperscale data-center projects within city limits, including proposals from DAMAC, Panattoni and Corscale, according to The Canton Repository. Corscale has separately proposed a $2.9 billion, 312-megawatt facility southeast of Millerton Street and Central Avenue SE, which the company estimates would create about 3,000 construction jobs between 2026 and 2029, with 84% of that work performed by union labor, and roughly 150 permanent jobs once operating.
