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Wilmington, Ohio

The Planning Commission approved Amazon's Cosler Farm site plan 4–1. The lawsuit and the remaining permits are still ahead.

Updated November 11, 2026  ·  Underclassic

Wilmington, the seat of Clinton County in southwest Ohio, has become one of the most closely watched data center towns in the country. Amazon Data Services plans a campus on the former Cosler farm at 1488 South US 68; residents have challenged the city's approvals in federal court; and on November 3, 2026, voters rejected four more data center rezonings. This page collects Underclassic's coverage and the key dates.

The vote

Tue., Nov. 10 — After a special meeting that ran from 4:30 p.m. to 9:36 p.m. ET, the Planning Commission approved Amazon's tabled site plan for 1488 S US 68 on a 4–1 roll-call vote. Delmas King Jr. voted no. Bret Dixon, Service Director Mike Crowe and Mayor Pat Haley were among those voting yes. Minutes have not been posted. Watch the official recording.

Tuesday night's decision

For ten months the site plan sat on the table. On Tuesday night, in Council Chambers at 69 N. South Street, the Planning Commission took it up again, heard the public, and voted to accept it. The chair announced the count as four to one. The city's meeting page has posted the agenda and the video; the minutes are not up yet, and the Wilmington News Journal had not published a write-up as of Wednesday morning. This account is drawn from the official recording.

Before the final vote, the commission attached to the site plan a written list of Amazon's design, construction and operation measures — covering backup generators and emissions, noise, the berm and lighting, cooling and water, wetlands and stormwater, air permits, fire and EMS coordination, and construction traffic. Commissioners said they wanted those commitments on the plan itself, so that if they were not met the matter would come back to the commission rather than be left to later, negotiable agreements. A motion to keep the plan tabled until Amazon answered remaining questions and completed the application failed for lack of a second. The commission then voted to accept the plan.

That is not the last word. Amazon still needs building permits and state permits, including from the Ohio EPA. City Council, not the Planning Commission, still handles development agreements and tax questions. And the federal lawsuit, Sharp v. City of Wilmington, No. 1:26-cv-00448, has not moved since the plaintiffs' Oct. 30 Rule 26(f) report. There is still no scheduling order, and nothing new was filed before or after Tuesday's meeting.

Staff had, in an October 26 report first described by Obedio, called the plan “a high-quality proposal” and recommended approval with five conditions on landscaping, tank and light-pole heights, hydrants, fire-truck access and traffic studies. Those recommendations were part of the record heading into the hearing; the vote the commission took on Tuesday was to attach Amazon's written measures and then accept the plan.

Latest

Timeline

Sources: City of Wilmington meeting page; official BoxCast recording, Nov. 10, 2026; Planning Commission roster; federal docket, No. 1:26-cv-00448; Wilmington News Journal; election results. Underclassic also follows Harwood, North Dakota.