Microsoft has added to its growing portfolio of land in Licking County, Ohio, paying approximately USD 6.65 million for 37 acres in Pataskala.

The purchase pushes the company's cumulative land holdings in the county beyond 700 acres and extends a buying pattern along Refugee Road that dates back to November 2023.

Microsoft's Pataskala land acquisitions remain unconfirmed

The newest parcels sit on Refugee Road, the same corridor where Microsoft previously acquired 289 acres in Pataskala in November 2023 and a further 40 acres in December 2024.

While the company has continued to accumulate land in the city, it has never confirmed whether the Pataskala purchases are tied to a data center project, and no data center project is currently listed for Pataskala on Microsoft's website.

Geography links the newest holding to established campuses

Pataskala lies between New Albany and Heath and Hebron, placing Microsoft's latest land acquisition within the geographic span of the company's existing data center investment in the region.

With the USD 6.65 million deal, Microsoft's holdings across Licking County now exceed 700 acres, spread across Pataskala, Heath, Hebron, and New Albany.

The company's footprint in those neighboring communities is already well established and, in places, nearing the end of construction.

Microsoft previously purchased 227 acres along Thornwood Drive in Heath and 223 acres on High Street in Hebron, and according to the company's project update pages, all three of its Ohio campuses aim to be online by 2029.

Work at Heath and Hebron focuses on groundwork and utilities

The Heath and Hebron sites were at a similar stage of development in July 2026. At Heath, work that month centered on safety, water management, and site preparations for future buildings, with work on the substation also set to begin.

The Hebron campus was described as being at a comparable point in its development during the same month. Those updates reflect steady progress at two of the three sites that Microsoft had put on hold less than two years earlier.

From a USD 1 billion withdrawal to a return to construction

The renewed activity in Licking County follows a period of uncertainty for Microsoft's Ohio plans.

In April 2025, the company said it was no longer moving forward with plans to invest USD 1 billion in three data center campuses in New Albany, Heath, and Hebron.

At the time, Microsoft said it would "continue to evaluate these sites in line with our investment strategy" and would revisit the project at an unspecified point in the future.

That unspecified point arrived in March of this year, when the company had broken ground on the Heath and Hebron sites, bringing the paused investment back to life.

New Albany site approaches the finish line

Of the three campuses, the New Albany site is furthest along, with construction activities undertaken by Ames Construction said to be nearing completion.

In a statement, the company said, "Limited construction activities may continue through the summer as remaining work is completed, and future development phases are planned.

Microsoft will continue serving as the primary point of contact for community questions and updates moving forward."

The statement indicates that while the bulk of construction at New Albany is wrapping up, some limited work may continue through the summer, and that future development phases are planned for the site.

A pattern of accumulation on Refugee Road

The Pataskala purchase, though not yet attached to an announced project, continues a consistent pattern of acquisitions on Refugee Road that began in November 2023.

The two earlier purchases there, 289 acres in 2023 and 40 acres in December 2024, were made without the company confirming the intended use, and the latest 37-acre deal follows the same approach. What is clear is the scale of Microsoft's land position in the county.

With the Refugee Road parcels included, the company's holdings now exceed 700 acres across four communities, anchored by the three campuses that broke ground earlier this year and are scheduled to be online by 2029.