Urbana Technology Hub data center, Urbana, Ohio

The city passed a moratorium, then repealed the ordinance that would have allowed the project, and the developer sued. Thor Equities, of New York, proposes the Urbana Technology Hub, a data center of about 460,000 square feet near the junction of Ohio 55 and US 68 at Urbana, in Champaign County, close to the Rittal plant. The company says it has spent more than $19 million on the development and projects $3 million a year in tax revenue.

The city had welcomed it at first: in April 2025 the council annexed Thor's land, rezoned it for manufacturing and made data centers a permitted use there, and in November it approved a tax abatement agreement. The zoning board had rejected Thor's site plan in February 2026, and the council passed a 12-month moratorium on data centers in March. On June 16, 2026 the council went further and voted to repeal Ordinance 4621-25, banning data centers from the city.

Three days later, on June 19, Thor Equities filed a federal lawsuit against the city, its council and its board of zoning appeals, alleging Urbana broke state and local law by changing the rules after the company had applied. The company's complaint says: "The City's actions have caused lost investment, delayed project timelines, impaired business relationships, and deprived the local community of jobs, tax revenue, and the benefits of planned infrastructure improvements."

In a statement Thor said it rejected "the misinformation and outright nonsense being spread online about data centers," and that it "looks forward to resolving this matter fairly so it can continue being a strong partner for Urbana and help build a brighter future for the city."

Thor has also appealed the site plan rejection in Champaign County Common Pleas Court, where in July a judge ordered the city to add a full transcript of the April zoning appeals hearing to the record. Under that schedule the city's response is due by October 2, 2026, and the project remains on hold while the courts decide.