Data center developer Karis is looking to build a data center on the Big Darby Watershed in central Ohio.

In a letter penned by Karis and published by Prairie Township authorities, the company said that it was in the “preliminary stages of evaluating this property for potential development.”

“This property” refers to a 127-acre parcel at 535 Cole Road that Karis purchased back in December 2024.

Karis also said that it was potentially looking to add additional acreage to the site.

“The site we purchased has characteristics that make it a strong candidate for data center or industrial-related development. It shares a border with a railroad, it has 345kV high-voltage transmission lines running through the site, and it is adjacent to an AEP electric substation,” reads the letter.

Residents and authorities have expressed concerns that the potential data center would affect the Big Darby Watershed, a freshwater ecosystem in central Ohio spread across six counties.

But Karis said that it “would meet or exceed all local, state, and federal environmental, sustainability, and land use planning requirements.”

No formal application for a data center seems to have been submitted, and details about any potential facility’s size or capacity remain unclear.

Karis Critical describes itself as an investor in land, energy, and infrastructure for data centers.

The company is developing a data center in DeKalb, Illinois, and is planning a 36MW facility in Naperville, also in Illinois.