Karen Bucher was describing the noise that keeps her and her husband awake when a massive boom rolled across the remaining fields near their subdivision in Licking County, Ohio. Their home is among 37 properties around Bermuda Drive surrounded by construction and technology campuses.

Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft own data centers or construction sites nearby, while Intel is building a massive microchip factory. Karen, a former teacher, and Denton, a former union pipefitter, expect to leave within a year before the neighborhood’s homes are demolished.

The Buchers bought their property in 2003 after retiring and moving from Toledo to be near their son. They have spent months negotiating with representatives of the New Albany Company, owned by billionaire Leslie Wexner, while packing up 23 years of belongings.

Neighbors negotiating sales have been bound by nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from discussing prices. Two nearby homes sold this month to a New Albany Company LLC for $1.18 million and $1.35 million, amounting to between $600,000 and $700,000 per acre.

The Buchers’ property was valued this year by the county auditor at $442,300. Although they stand to benefit financially, they said data center noise and construction dust have made them want to leave, even as the circumstances make the departure feel forced.

Two miles east, Josh Cyrus lives with his wife and two children just beyond the current development. The family loves the home, trees, and pond, but Cyrus said potential expansion was part of the purchase calculation because it could produce a substantial return.

The New Albany Company has already acquired houses beside and behind the Cyrus property, although no coordinated attempt has been made to purchase the entire street. Neighbor Erin King would also consider selling, but said she could not find a comparable home near Columbus for the same price.

Andrew Maciejewski has already made that choice, relocating his family nearly 40 miles away to Amanda, Ohio, to preserve their rural lifestyle. He feared refusing to sell could leave his property surrounded by data centers and practically impossible to market.

Maciejewski sold to an LLC owned by Karis Critical, which later advertised the property as a 113.5 acre data center campus. His experience reflects a land market where homeowners must decide whether to cash out, hold on, or risk being boxed in.

The land beneath Meta’s first New Albany campus reveals how lucrative that market became. The New Albany Company began acquiring parcels in 2000 and assembled a contiguous 323 acre property after another 16 transfers occurred during a six month period beginning in late 2011.

Meta ultimately paid more than $36 million for the 323 acres beneath its first five data center buildings. The New Albany Company had spent approximately $8 million for the same land, creating upward of $28 million in profit on that property alone.

The company used a similar strategy for Intel, assembling more than 700 acres from 52 landowners and homeowners during 2021 and 2022. It paid upward of $70 million before Intel purchased the land months later for more than $110 million, producing up to $40 million in profit.

The New Albany International Business Park now covers more than 10,000 acres, with more than 60 operating or planned data centers in the area. Family farms, homes, roads, barns, trees, and wetlands have been replaced by construction, asphalt, and concrete.

The backlash is reaching Ohio’s elections for governor and Senate, where Democrats have accused Republicans of profiting from the developments and failing to regulate them. Polling by four independent Ohio agencies found more than 70% opposed data center construction in their communities.

Ohio’s subsidies add another layer to the fight. Property tax agreements can provide exemptions of up to 100% for 15 to 30 years, while the state’s data center sales tax exemption cost $1.5 billion in 2025, 11 times the forecast.

Local sales tax breaks cost another $166.8 million in 2024. In May 2026, Gov. Mike DeWine paused exemptions for new proposals, but existing agreements remained untouched, while House Bill 184 made key information about local economic development assistance confidential.