Mayor Justin Bibb Discusses Nuance of Data Centers in Cleveland Neighborhoods

“What we can't do is engage in a conversation about data centers without talking about the material risk and fears that residents have,” Bibb said at a City Club talk on Wednesday.

by Annie Nickoloff | May. 27, 2026 | 2:25 PM

Photographed by Annie Nickoloff

In a far-ranging conversation at the City Club on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Justin Bibb and WKYC anchor and managing editor Russ Mitchell dove into a variety of major headlines dominating the leader’s second term.

That included a discussion on data centers in the city, sparked by news of a recent proposal to build a 150-megawatt data center in the city’s Slavic Village neighborhood. The City rejected the proposal on May 14.

“When you come at the last minute and want to propose a hyperscale standalone facility without talking about it, without engaging in a thoughtful conversation with the administration, without really talking about the concerns to our environment with rising utility costs, that's a problem,” Bibb said about the proposal.

The debate continues around data centers, which power a global rise in artificial intelligence use. Some Northeast Ohio towns have introduced moratoriums on building new large data centers in light of environmental and economic concerns. Cleveland City Council is considering such a moratorium.

Meanwhile, organizations like the Greater Cleveland Partnership recently urged cities to avoid bans and moratoriums, “because that sends up a big ‘not open for business’ signal,” said GCP CEO Baiju Shah.

At the City Club event, Bibb noted the “nuance” of data centers and highlighted existing data cloud facilities run by Sherwin-Williams, the Cleveland Clinic and other businesses in the city. According to Data Center Map, there are 24 data centers in Cleveland.

“Can there be parts of our city where it’s zoned for data cloud or technology facilities? Absolutely,” Bibb said.

“There's nuance to this, and so when it comes to zoning, and when it comes to ensuring that we are putting these facilities in places where it needs to be, not in someone's backyard in Slavic Village,” he continued. “That’s a different conversation.”

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Annie Nickoloff

Annie Nickoloff is the senior editor of Cleveland Magazine. She has written for a variety of publications, including The Plain Dealer, Alternative Press Magazine, Belt Magazine, USA Today and Paste Magazine. She hosts a weekly indie radio show called Sunny Day on WRUW FM 91.1 Cleveland and enjoys frequenting Cleveland's music venues, hiking trails and pinball arcades.