Saadia Holding LLC, a New York-based manufacturing firm, has reached out to both the city and county of Athens and expressed interest in potentially building a data center.
According to the Ohio Consumers’ Council, there are over 200 data centers in Ohio alone, with most of them being in central Ohio. That number places Ohio fifth overall for most data centers out of all 50 states.
Connor LaVelle, Athens County planner and floodplain administrator, said in an interview on July 29 that anything related to Saadia Holding and their interest in the Athens area is preliminary.
However, LaVelle also said that “three or four months ago,” the Athens County Regional Planning Commission*“established a subcommittee just to begin discussions of data centers and their impact on Ohio, and then also looking at what impact they could have on Athens County.”
LaVelle said that the meeting with Saadia Holding was a short Zoom call, and the company did not have any site or building plans for a potential data center.
LaVelle also said that the meeting “was not very deep.”
“They were mainly trying to get a grasp on what the permitting is like,” LaVelle said. “I think they were trying to also understand what are the jurisdictions that provide local permitting and local authorities, because it is sort of an interesting area where there's different layers: township, city, county.”
The Post reached out to Saadia Holding for comment regarding their intentions, but did not receive a response. The company does not have an available phone number or working website.
The property that Saadia Holding is interested in is located just northeast of The Plains, across the street from Athens High School.
There have been many different groups involved with the potential data center, as the property crosses the border between Athens and Dover Townships and is in Athens County, but with a small portion owned by the city of Athens.
The outside of the Athens Township Trustees office at 313 W. Union St. in Athens, Aug. 1, 2026.
As per the visual at the top of the page, the property is currently owned by NML Gallia LLC. The company came under fire following its purchase and development of the property in 2019 after causing damage to Adena burial mounds on the property, according to an article by The Columbus Dispatch.
Data centers have become a hot-button issue not just in Ohio, but across the country. Many people in Ohio oppose them due to their potential impact on the environment and their disruption to the local community.
One issue many share surrounding data centers is their water intake. According to Oscar Carson, the superintendent of Athens County Water and Sewer District, Saadia Holding would most likely require an initial 100,000 gallons of water to fill up the data center in Athens, and then an additional 20,000-30,000 gallons monthly to top it off.
Carson said that the county would be able to allot the water to the data center and that it would not be a problem for Athens residents, as Saadia Holding was looking at property near the water tower.
However, Carson did say adjustments would potentially need to happen depending on the size of the building.
While water might not be a problem, Carson also mentioned that sewer lines would potentially need to change.
“Sewer would be the issue because it's down on River Road itself, so they would have to extend the line to access the sewer,” Carson said. “But I don't see that being a problem.”
LaVelle mentioned that he has received lots of feedback from concerned citizens, and regardless of whether the data center is built, it is a good opportunity for community members to learn more about the processes that go into it.
LaVelle also said that he understands people have concerns and encourages them to reach out and share their feelings on the matter.
“When people are rightly concerned and want to share those concerns, it's important to know which jurisdiction to go to,” LaVelle said. “They're also always welcome to bring their concerns to the Athens County Regional Planning Commission.”
The Athens County Regional Planning Commission meets on the second Thursday of every month at 8 p.m. on the first floor of the Ohio University Innovation Center.
