OREGON, Ohio — Oregon City Council voted to rezone land for a proposed data center Monday night, a project city leaders say could bring over $1 billion to the local economy.

The city previously sold 170 acres to a site selector last November for just over $17 million. On top of that, officials also purchased homes within a nearly 22-acre area at Wynn and Corduroy roads — part of a plan council member Steve Hornyak said has been years in the making.

“Over the last 12-18 months, several opportunities have presented themselves. Some of them didn’t make sense for us as a community or what we wanted in that space. This data center, when it came along, seemed to create the perfect opportunity,” Hornyak said.

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Hornyak estimates the project could generate $1-1.2 billion for the local economy, boosting revenue for both the city and local schools.

Not all residents support the project. Amie Mott Miller, who lives near the rezoned site, said the city did not give neighbors enough opportunity to voice concerns.

“All of the residents of Oregon deserve to be heard. All of the residents of Oregon deserve to have that town meeting that we should have had a long time ago,” Miller said.

Supporters, however, say the project will provide significant economic benefits. Thomas Enright, president of IBEW Local 8, said it will create 600-800 jobs while supporting schools and city services.

“It’s gonna pay a lot of bills for the families. It’s gonna provide a lot of health and welfare and pension credits for a lot of young people coming up in the industry,” Enright said.

City officials say the next step is working with FirstEnergy to test the power grid’s capacity. If that process is successful, final approval could come by spring, with construction beginning soon after.