Join us for this Timely Webinar on
Successfully Negotiating Community Benefits
Agreements for Data Centers
Thursday, June 25, 2026
10:00 - 11:00 AM
In partnership between
the Ohio Economic Development Association and
The Montrose Group
OEDA, in partnership with the Montrose Group, invites you to a working session on one of the most consequential questions in economic development right now: how communities and developers can turn data center growth into lasting local benefit.
Data center development is accelerating faster than any infrastructure buildout in a generation, bringing significant capital investment, tax revenue, and digital infrastructure to communities across the country. As these projects scale, developers and local leaders have a real opportunity to shape how that growth lands — ensuring host communities share in the upside through job creation, infrastructure improvements, environmental stewardship, and direct community investment.
Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) have emerged as the most practical tool to bridge the gap between communities and developers. These legally binding contracts translate developer promises into specific, measurable commitments on local hiring, environmental safeguards, infrastructure, and direct investment. Done well, a CBA can turns an adversarial permitting fight into a structured negotiation that both protects residents and gives developers a credible path to approval and on-time delivery.
Led by Nate Green and Matt McCollister of the Montrose Group – a Columbus, Ohio business consulting firm specializing in corporate site location, economic development planning, and government – this session walks through what makes a data center CBA work in practice; which provisions matter most, how to draft commitments that hold up over a 20-plus year operating life, and the enforcement mechanisms that separate a meaningful agreement from a public relations document. It will also examine real agreements and discuss where CBAs have fallen short.
Whether you represent a local government, community coalition, developer, or labor organization, you'll leave with a working framework for your next project.
OEDA Professional Development programs are made possible through the generous support of:
