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Markets · Data centers
Columbus industrial land: data center, port and air-cargo demand
Columbus runs 0.1% data center vacancy and ranks as the number four global primary market. Data as of Q2 2026. The market is defined by two very large committed sites: Meta's Prometheus on 740 acres in New Albany with a behind-the-meter gas facility, and QTS Van Wert at 902 acres, 500 MW and $10 billion.
Key takeaways
- Data center vacancy is 0.1%, and the market ranks number four globally among primary markets (Q2 2026).
- Meta's Prometheus occupies 740 acres in New Albany with a 200 MW behind-the-meter gas facility approved and 400 MW eventual.
- QTS Van Wert is 902 acres, 500 MW and $10 billion, breaking ground in Q4 2026 with the first building in Q1 2029.
- Roughly $1.7 billion of AEP transmission upgrades in PJM sit on a seven to ten year horizon.
A quarterly brief on powered land, port capacity and air-cargo gateways, plus the Powered Land and Gateway Pricing Benchmarks data file.
- Dollar per megawatt and dollar per acre benchmarks by market, with the substation-distance and voltage premiums applied
- Every committed United States port capacity opening from 2026 through 2035, with cost, TEU and date
- Airport-adjacent rent premiums by gateway, and the constraint map that drives them
- The named project pipeline: site, megawatts, developer, power source, status
- Sources and periods for every cell. Nothing unattributed.
Columbus in numbers
| Metric | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Data center vacancy | 0.1% | Q2 2026 |
| Global primary market rank | Number four | Q2 2026 |
| Meta Prometheus, New Albany | 740 acres, Socrates South behind-the-meter gas of 200 MW approved and 400 MW eventual | 2026 |
| QTS Van Wert | 902 acres, 500 MW, $10 billion | Groundbreaking Q4 2026, first building Q1 2029 |
| Vistra Davis-Besse | 894 MW | 2026 |
| Vistra Perry | 1,205 MW | 2026 |
| AEP transmission upgrades, PJM | About $1.7 billion | Seven to ten year horizon |
What buyers are paying for here
The behind-the-meter precedent set by Meta's Socrates South gas facility changes how the substation premium reads locally. Where a buyer can generate on site, the roughly 2x premium for land within half a mile of a substation is partially substitutable by gas interconnection and site acreage.
The roughly 2.4x premium for 230kV or 500kV service still holds for grid-served projects, and with AEP transmission upgrades on a seven to ten year horizon it is arguably worth more here than the national average, because the alternative is waiting out that horizon.
Scale is what buyers are paying for. Prometheus took 740 acres and QTS Van Wert 902 acres. This is a large-greenfield market where contiguity and gas access price the parcel, and the infill end of the national range does not describe it. A published land price band per acre is not publicly available.
Apply the published substation-distance and service-voltage premiums to a parcel in Columbus with the powered land premium calculator.
What is under construction within 100 miles
Meta's Prometheus site covers 740 acres in New Albany, built with rapid-deployment fabric structures and supported by the Socrates South behind-the-meter gas facility, with 200 MW approved and 400 MW eventual.
QTS Van Wert is a 902-acre, 500 MW, $10 billion project with groundbreaking scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first building due in the first quarter of 2029.
Oklo's Aurora Powerhouse units are sited in Pike County, roughly 85 miles away.
On the generation side, Vistra's Davis-Besse is rated 894 MW and Perry 1,205 MW.
The constraint
Roughly $1.7 billion of AEP transmission upgrades in PJM sit on a seven to ten year horizon.
That horizon is longer than the underwriting period of nearly every buyer in the market, which is precisely why Prometheus went behind the meter and why the Vistra and Oklo generation assets matter to land pricing here.
For a landowner the test is simple and local: can this parcel reach power without waiting for the PJM upgrade cycle? Sites with a gas path, an existing generation neighbour or an interconnection position already in hand are being underwritten on a 2029 delivery. Sites that need the transmission build are being underwritten on the seven to ten year clock.
Who covers Columbus
Brad Cohen covers Columbus for Landside Partners. Send one parcel and he will return a written read on what it is worth against the demand above, using data as of Q2 2026.
No fee. One parcel. One page. Usually back within five business days.
A quarterly brief on powered land, port capacity and air-cargo gateways, plus the Powered Land and Gateway Pricing Benchmarks data file.
- Dollar per megawatt and dollar per acre benchmarks by market, with the substation-distance and voltage premiums applied
- Every committed United States port capacity opening from 2026 through 2035, with cost, TEU and date
- Airport-adjacent rent premiums by gateway, and the constraint map that drives them
- The named project pipeline: site, megawatts, developer, power source, status
- Sources and periods for every cell. Nothing unattributed.
This research was produced by Landside Partners, a commercial real estate research and advisory firm working with owners of industrial land across North America on data center, seaport and air-cargo demand. To have a specific parcel assessed, contact Brad Cohen at Landside Partners.
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