Data centers in Lorain County, Ohio: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Amherst's zoning board took less than 24 hours to reject a data center for the old Nordson campus, and the developer helped make the case against himself. Illinois-based Cervenka Development Partners asked on July 14, 2026 for a use variance to convert three buildings at 100, 200 and 300 Nordson Drive, about 240,000 square feet of office, warehouse and lab space on the Nordson Corporation campus, into a data center of about 45 megawatts. Nordson, founded in Amherst in 1954, moved its manufacturing to South Carolina in late 2024 and is selling the northern buildings, which have their own substation. Amherst's code does not mention data centers, so the city requires a variance for one. Mayor Mark Costilow said he never expected a data center proposal in a city of about 13,000. The application promised "minimal water and sewer demand" and closed-loop cooling.

On July 29 more than 100 people came to City Hall, so many that most were turned away at the door and listened on their phones outside. "We're a quiet little community. This is not good for the residents," said Christine Burman. An attorney for a group of homeowners, Gerald Phillips, argued the application was invalid because Cervenka did not own the property. Tom Cervenka argued the buildings were so specialized that another manufacturer would be hard to find, then conceded: "Am I gonna tell you that there is no other user that can use these buildings? No." In its written decision the next day, the board said he had undermined his own case. "The board has spoken. The people have spoken," Costilow said, adding that the city would defend the decision in court. Cervenka's deadline to appeal to Lorain County Common Pleas Court passed August 29; no result has been published. It is up to Amherst City Council whether to consider a moratorium, which Costilow thinks is unnecessary.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.