Hamilton, Ohio

The city of Trenton, Ohio abruptly withdrew its petition to annex roughly 600 acres in neighboring Madison and St. Clair townships for a proposed 18-building Amazon Web Services data center, prompting Butler County commissioners to cancel a scheduled Sept. 15 hearing. The townships had previously refused to cede the land, citing concerns over traffic, road maintenance and economic incentives, which forced the annexation into a formal commissioners' hearing under Ohio law.

Trenton had asked to postpone the hearing until after a November election in which city residents will vote on whether to ban data centers within city limits, but county officials said any delay required board approval in public session. Rather than proceed, Trenton withdrew the petition less than a day before the hearing. Commissioners expressed frustration at repeatedly learning of developments at the "11th hour" and said the withdrawal denied the public a promised airing of a high-profile, closely watched proposal. Trenton could refile the annexation request in the future.