Project Shelby

Panattoni-proposed data center on former Ford Motor Co. industrial land in northeast Canton. Facility size, power capacity, and end user are not yet publicly established; developer held a public open house Aug 18, 2026.

Developer
Panattoni Development Company
Site
Former Ford Motor Co. property, NE Canton (southeast of Marietta Ave NE and Georgetown Rd NE; WHBC describes it as vacant industrial land off 8th St NE between Marietta and Trump avenues)
Project type
Proposed data center
Stage
Planning/design - not finalized
Last SCM verification
2026-08-19
7 unresolved questions

Power

AEP coordination status Developer-stated
Developer says it is coordinating with AEP Ohio on electricity availability
Source: Panattoni SVP Chris Minghenelli (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18
Requested load, approved load, and substation/transmission upgrades are not verified.
Electrical demand (MW) Not yet verified
Not publicly established
Source: —
Likely connected to facility size also being undetermined.
Utility Developer-stated
AEP Ohio
Source: Panattoni (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18

Water

Cooling method Not yet verified
Not publicly verified
Source: —
Water demand (daily/peak) Not yet verified
Not publicly verified
Source: —

Jobs

Construction jobs (count) Not yet verified
Not established
Source: —
Hiring status Developer-stated
Actively recruiting employees and interested construction companies
Source: Panattoni (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18
Permanent jobs (count) Not yet verified
Not established
Source: —

Land & Zoning

Facility size Developer-stated
Not yet determined
Source: Panattoni SVP Chris Minghenelli (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18
Do not publish an acreage/MW figure without labeling it preliminary.

Construction

Construction duration estimate Developer-stated
Approximately 2.5 years
Source: Panattoni (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18
Construction start estimate Developer-stated
Roughly 6-10 months out (approx. Feb-Jun 2027)
Source: Panattoni SVP Chris Minghenelli (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18

Environmental

Environmental review Developer-stated
Developer's environmental team considers the property environmentally clean
Source: Panattoni (via WHBC) — 2026-08-18
Not independently verified. Phase I/II ESA not obtained. Canton Public Health has an unrelated ambient air monitoring station near Marietta/Georgetown tied to historical Republic Steel-area concerns - not evidence this property is contaminated, just a reason the documentation is worth obtaining rather than repeating 'environmentally clean' as fact.

Noise

Noise study Not yet verified
Not located
Source: —

Generators

Generator count Not yet verified
Not publicly verified
Source: —

Public Meetings & Timeline

2026-08-18
Public open house
Panattoni-hosted open house, Canton Memorial Civic Center, 5-7pm - representatives answered residents' questions individually rather than a conventional presentation/Q&A format
Source: WHBC radio coverage

Source Documents

No source documents linked yet.