The charter amendment, approved by Sunbury voters in the November election, bars construction of data centers that use more than 25 megawatts of power. Residents who backed the measure say the planned Amazon data center was a driving force behind the campaign.

"This community, along with other communities, just sent a loud message that we don't want these large data centers in our community," Sunbury resident Trey Dockendorf said.

Dockendorf said the site's proximity to homes was a central concern. "The location, though, is the big issue; it's literally next door to some homes," he said.

He argued the vote should halt the project because a development agreement has not been approved. City officials, however, said they do not yet know how the ban will affect the Amazon plans.

"The City of Sunbury is currently working to revise the language in its charter to reflect the voter-approved language limiting the size of data centers to less than 25 megawatts of power per month," Sunbury City Manager Daryl Hennessy said. "This change will take effect as soon as the results of the election are certified by the Delaware County Board of Elections. We are still working with our legal team to determine the impact of this change on the announced Amazon data center project."

The measure's passage follows a broader pushback in central Ohio and elsewhere over the power demands and land use of large-scale data centers. Supporters in Sunbury said the margin of victory should leave little doubt about the community's position.

"The support was overwhelming for our side and to have all that ignored, I think, would be pretty disheartening to the whole community," Dockendorf said.

As the Delaware County Board of Elections moves toward certifying the results, the city's legal review will determine whether the Amazon project can proceed, be scaled back, or be abandoned. For now, residents who celebrated the vote are waiting to see whether the charter change delivers the outcome they sought.