Amazon looking at another site in Hilliard
Amazon Web Services will purchase 104 acres known as the Grener tract from the city of Hilliard for $14.76 million, according to legislation expected to be introduced Monday by Hilliard City Council. The purchase is expected to lead to the construction of a data-center complex on the site, said Hilliard economic development director David Meadows.
The Grener tract is named for the family that once owned the land between Cosgray and Leppert roads, south of Hayden Run Road and east of Homestead Park.
Coinciding with the proposed sale is the city’s proposed $4.41 million purchase of 125 acres east of Alton Darby Creek Road and south of Scioto Darby Road, adjacent to Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park and the Hilliard Ohio Soccer Association complex.
The land is known as the Jerman property for the family that owns it.
“If City Council approves the (Amazon) purchase, then the city will buy the Jerman property,” Meadows said.
Approval of the purchase looks likely after the city recently moved to acquire all the land on the Grener tract from Hilliard City Schools. As part of the pending proposal, the city would pay the school district $2.8 million for the 20 acres it owns and add it to 84 acres the city already owns, Meadows said.
If approved by City Council, Amazon Web Services then would purchase all 104 acres from the city for $14.76 million, Meadows said.
The data-center deal would expand Amazon’s footprint in Hilliard. Amazon has three data-center facilities at the southeast corner of Britton Parkway and Hayden Run Road.
A fourth is under construction, and
Amazon has approval for the construction of a fifth facility, Meadows said.
Amazon’s investment in the proposed data center on the Grener tract is expected to be $200 million, according to Meadows. It would create 100 new jobs with an annual payroll of $8 million, Meadows said.
When asked about the project, Lauren Lynch, a spokeswoman for Amazon Web Services, said, “AWS has a practice against commenting on our future road map.”
kcorvo@thisweeknews.com