It’s Meta: Facebook parent company developing $800M data center in Middleton Twp.
Posted By: The Toledo Blade on April 9, 2025. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
The name and owner of the $800 million data center under construction in Middleton Township are no longer a secret.
At a Wednesday news conference at Bowling Green State University, the Regional Growth Partnership and JobsOhio announced that Meta, which is Facebook’s parent company, will be building its newest artificial intelligence-optimized data center. The 715,000-square-foot data center has been under construction since fall on 280 acres in Middleton Township, off State Rt. 582 between State Rt. 25 and I-75.
Middleton Township Trustee Mike Moulton welcomed Meta, which he said had been a good neighbor since this process started in 2023.
“I’d also like to finally end the biggest guessing game in these parts,” he said.
Once completed, the facility will represent an investment of more than $800 million in the state and will support approximately 100 jobs with an approximate annual salary of $83,000 each. The careers will include technicians, heating and cooling specialists, and administrative support and planning.
Meta anticipates more than 1,000 construction workers will be on site at the peak of construction.
Like all of Meta’s data centers, this facility’s electricity use will be matched with 100 percent clean and renewable energy, according to the company. Meta is also committed to long-term community investment, supporting local schools, nonprofits, and community projects through direct funding and volunteering.
The project is expected to be highly lucrative for the two area school districts in the future. With a 75 percent tax abatement, Eastwood could receive $800,000 annually. Otsego may receive the same but on a later timeline.
Why Middleton Township?
Gary Thompson, executive vice president at the Regional Growth Partnership, said there are three reasons that Meta wanted to be in Middleton Township, which is between Perrysburg and Bowling Green.
“The number one thing that makes that site lucrative or attractive, there is a big set of high-transmission power lines running through the site,” he said.
Second, it is a “green space” — not residential, not manufacturing, Mr. Thompson said.
“The third thing that doesn’t get reported or talked about much, is they like to go where they’re welcomed,” he said. “All the local players involved were very understanding and welcoming and that made the company feel welcome.”
Mr. Thompson said there are three sizes of data centers, and this is “a hyper scale large nature.”
A data center is the actual definition of “the cloud” storage, Mr. Thompson said. It’s something he likes to break down simply for people.
“They don’t realize the cloud is a physical structure here on Earth, and there are many of them,” he said.
“I always like to remind people, if you like having your medical records at the speed of an instant, or your car service record, or pictures of your grandchildren across the country — all these things we do in our modern life rely on data centers. They’re just a new part of this way of life,” Mr. Thompson said.
Also, in northwest Ohio, manufacturers need data backed up and accessible, and artificial intelligence needs more data, he said.
“It makes our businesses run better, but it relies on the backbone of these data centers being built,” Mr. Thompson said.
Stacey Yip, in engineering communications at Meta, said there was a reason for the secrecy in the company name reveal.
“Maintaining confidentiality during project development increases efficiency and speed by enabling all stakeholders to remain focused on the needs of the project,” she said. “Also, sometimes we choose not to invest in a site we are considering, so we do not want to pull entire communities through the ups and downs of our due diligence processes.”
Middleton Township was selected for a number of reasons, Ms. Yip said.
“We found a site that had good access to infrastructure and renewable energy. There is a strong pool of talent, and we have found a great set of community partners that have helped us move this project forward,” she said.
Brad Davis, director of data center community and economic development at Meta, said the site was selected for its great access to infrastructure and renewable energy, a strong pool of talent, and community partners that have helped move this project forward.
“We are excited to become part of the Wood County community, and we look forward to having a strong, mutually beneficial partnership for years to come,” Mr. Davis said.
Construction started in earnest four months ago, Mr. Thompson said. It takes 24 months to complete a phase, and the site is being prepared for multiple phases.
“That site could be a construction site for maybe five to seven years,” he said. “As each building gets built, it will come online and be operable.”
Team effort
Mr. Thompson said he sincerely appreciated dealing with the Meta team.
“With big projects like this one, it can often feel like a deal has to be made, negotiations can be combative, and there can be a ‘How much can we get?’ attitude from a company,” he said.
“Working with this team from this company has just been pleasurable. They understand what they need. They ask good questions. They have a professional team of people. They are absolutely trying to create a win-win situation,” Mr. Thompson said.
The first question that Meta representatives asked was “Are we a match for this community?” he said.
“Absolutely you’re a match. It was just an absolute pleasure,” Mr. Thompson said.
The massive site has been dubbed “project accordion.” The Wood County auditor’s website shows Liames LLC owns 800 acres in this area.
“Working with the project accordion, their team was fantastic, they were up front from the beginning,” said Wade Gottschalk, executive director of the Wood County Economic Development Commission.
There have been weekly utility and road meetings, he said.
“They’ve been very involved and very supportive of what we need to get this over the finish line,” Mr. Gottschalk said.
Ohio has established itself as a top location for data centers. Since 2011, the state has seen a four-times growth in data centers, with more than 1,500 now in operation, according to Meta.
And for northwest Ohio, its inherent assets, particularly a robust supply of energy, make it an attractive location for high-growth industries, mainly within tech-related fields. Northwest Ohio has more than three dozen energy producers, suppliers, manufacturers, and transporters. Last year alone, the regional energy industry invested nearly $3 billion into operations.
“Wood County has a built a foundation for businesses to grow and flourish in this region,” Wood County Commissioner Craig LaHote said. “Companies locating here recognize the assets and business climate that provide the advantages and opportunities for success. Wood County is proud and grateful to welcome Meta and looks forward to a long-term partnership beneficial to all of us.”
Many entities worked collaboratively on this project. They include Wood County Economic Development Commission, Middleton Township, Wood County commissioners, Wood County Port Authority, the city of Bowling Green, Ohio Department of Development, Toledo Edison, and JE Dunn Construction.
The Regional Growth Partnership is the lead economic development organization serving 17 counties in Northwest Ohio.
“Ohio is shaping the future of the data-driven digital economy, and we are pleased that Meta chose Wood County for this new investment,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in the Meta news release. “Northwest Ohio’s talent pipeline and strategic location will create an environment where Meta, and the other technology companies they attract, can thrive while bringing new opportunities for our regional work force and their families.”
This will be the company’s 28th data center worldwide and the second in Ohio. The other in Ohio is in New Albany, near Columbus.
Plans were also recently announced for a data center in Oregon in eastern Lucas County. It is expected to be located on 168 acres of land near Corduroy and Wynn roads and have as many as eight buildings at several hundred thousand square feet each.
Mr. Thompson said he did not know the company that is developing the Oregon site.
Neighbors to the data center
Ross Fought, who lives across the road from the data center, said he appreciates the money for the schools but doesn’t believe the township is profiting from the site.
“Honestly I’m not 100 percent sure, or even 50 percent sure, that this is good for our township or our area — in part, because of this project, and in part, because of other growth,” he said.
The township is currently building an EMS and fire storage building, which is needed to house larger emergency equipment, he said. That new equipment is needed, Mr. Fought said, because of the data center.
“We need to add, because of a project like this, so the township is incurring additional costs it would not have incurred previously,” he said.
Mr. Fought is a member of the township’s commission but said he is commenting for this story as a property owner near the data center. He and his wife, Michelle, own the home directly south of the township building on Route 25.
The construction noise is unrelenting, he said, adding that when he stopped at the site to complain about generator noise, the crew did place orange blanket sound barriers over them.
“It’s been eye opening and very unsettling to see something like that happen where there was farmland. You never really could conceive of something that big,” he said. “I guess I had a ‘It’s not going to happen in my backyard’ mindset.”
Mr. Fought said he recently read a story about Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg buying a $23 million mansion in Washington, D.C. There are 22 property owners around the data center that Mr. Fought said are very impacted by the construction.
“If they had just given everyone a million dollars, they still would have spent less than what Mr. Zuckerberg spent on his new house,” Mr. Fought said. “It’s a little frustrating. They could have changed people’s lives for the better, yet they nitpicked.”
“Our lives are uprooted, and most of us have lived here 25 years or more,” he said.
Jenny and Kurt Kirsch’s Mercer Road home is across the street from the data center, with the front yard facing it.
Mrs. Kirsch said they have a new lake, which is part of the data center, in front of their home.
“It could be worse. [We’re] just trying to reframe it and think of the positives,” she said. “So far, I think they’ve been respectable neighbors to us, and hopefully that will continue.”
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