Data center partners and local officials meet for town hall tonight
$5.5 billion development in Erie County would be biggest project in history
Five things to know
A Historic Multibillion-Dollar Proposal: A massive, privately funded 250-megawatt data center campus dubbed “Project Andromeda” is being proposed for a 146-acre rural site in southwest Erie County. Developed by AVAIO Digital, the planned 1.2 million-square-foot campus would consist of four buildings. If fully realized, the combined investment from AVAIO and its future tech-tenant (such as Amazon, Google, or Microsoft) would top $5.5 billion—making it the single largest financial investment in Erie County’s history.
The Local Hurdles and Ban: Despite the historic price tag, the project is currently blocked. Oxford Township currently has a local prohibition banning data center construction. For the project to proceed, the township’s zoning board must first issue a recommendation to the township trustees. From there, the three-member board of trustees holds ultimate authority; they would have to vote to lift the local ban and approve the development. Trustee Mike Parker has stated they will not approve any application unless they are certain a majority of local residents favor the proposal.
Massive Economic Promises: AVAIO claims Project Andromeda will generate monumental economic benefits, including up to 3,000 local construction jobs and 120 permanent, in-house positions paying at least $150,000 annually. Over a 15-year period, the developer projects the campus will pump $28 million a year ($420 million total) in new tax revenue into local school districts, infrastructure, and public services.
No Local Tax Breaks Requested: Crucially, AVAIO is actively distancing itself from the controversy surrounding Perkins Township’s Aligned Data Center project, which drew heavy local criticism for receiving a massive 70% local tax break. AVAIO partner Kevin Murphy stressed that his firm will not seek any local tax breaks or county grant funding, instead relying entirely on private capital and state-level tax incentives. Murphy also claims the campus’s closed-loop cooling system will use minimal water, and because it sits directly on a major power grid and fiber-optic corridor, it will require no disruptive new utility routing.
The Public Confrontation: Tonight’s highly anticipated public town hall is a critical first step as local officials and county commissioners remain officially neutral. AVAIO representatives are attempting a transparent public-outreach campaign to convince skeptical neighbors that Project Andromeda won’t disrupt their rural lifestyle with noise or resource depletion. This meeting represents the public’s first major opportunity to directly challenge the developers before any formal zoning or trustee votes are scheduled.