Urbana Technology Hub (Thor Equities data center)
Thor Equities planned a 460,000-square-foot data center near the Rittal plant in Urbana. The city first welcomed it, then paused and banned big data centers in 2026. Thor says it spent over $19 million and is suing.
Where things stand: Blocked for now. Urbana paused data centers in March 2026 and then took data centers out of its factory zoning. Thor Equities is suing the city.
🕒 Latest update (July 15, 2026): A resident turned in petitions for a city charter change to ban very large data centers.
What we know
- 📍 WhereNear Ohio 55 and U.S. 68, by the Rittal plant, Urbana, Champaign County
- 🏢 CompanyThor Equities
- 💸 Tax breaksCity Council approved a property tax break deal (Community Reinvestment Area) with Thor in November 2025.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- What has the court decided in Thor Equities' lawsuit against Urbana? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the charter ban on very large data centers be on the ballot? 🙋 I'll find out
- Who would use the data center, and how much power would it need? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- April 2025Urbana City Council allowed data centers in factory (M-1) zones and annexed and rezoned Thor's land.
- Nov 2025City Council approved a tax break deal with Thor Equities.
- Feb 2026Thor filed a site plan; the city's zoning board rejected it.
- March 2026City Council passed a 12-month pause on big data centers.
- June 16, 2026City Council voted to remove data centers as an allowed use in factory zones.
- June 19, 2026Thor Equities sued the city in federal court.
- July 15, 2026A resident turned in petitions for a city charter change to ban very large data centers.
Local votes and rules
🗳️ Public vote
Voters will decide a city charter change that would ban data centers that use more than 7.5 megawatts of power. A data center is proposed, and the developer is suing the city.
⚖️ Court case
Developer Thor Equities sued the city in federal court after the city paused data centers and changed its zoning. Thor had planned a $1 billion, 460,000-square-foot data center near Ohio 55 and U.S. 68.
🗺️ Zoning change
City council repealed its 2025 rule that had allowed data centers in the M-1 manufacturing zone. News reports say this bans data centers in the city.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
City council passed a one-year pause (moratorium) on new big data centers. A developer (Thor Equities) has sued the city in federal court. It is set to end in March 2027.
🤝 Agreement with the company
City council approved a tax break deal (Community Reinvestment Area agreement) with Thor Equities for its planned data center.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- Urbana backed down from rules paving way for big data centers. Now a developer is suing · WYSO · June 23, 2026
- Two Urbana residents start petitions in response to data center dispute · WYSO · July 15, 2026
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