Stickers bear a message of protest at a public information session Thursday at Greenfield-Central High School. Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
Stickers bear a message of protest at a public information session Thursday at Greenfield-Central High School. Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
After weeks of public backlash and scrutiny, Surge Development pulled its petition for a 775-acre proposal to turn agricultural land in Buck Creek Township into a planned unit development geared toward data centers and industrial usages.

Chris King, principal at the Shelbyville-based Surge Development, said the decision was made to put the petitioning process on pause and focus on finding users for the proposal.

“We want to focus on users that have expressed interest in the site. And we’ll go from there at this point,” King said.

Surge released a statement Tuesday evening regarding the withdrawal, saying public input has clearly indicated that additional specificity and clear direction are needed to move forward with the project, and working with specific users would “allow the community to to evaluate individual projects on their merits — with specific details available — before any future zoning action is considered.”

This decision comes on the heels of a four-hour-long public information session Thursday, where developers and public officials answered questions from the public about the proposed rezoning. Questions and comments from the public included the amount of strain on the existing infrastructure grid, security concerns, potential tax abatements and the close proximity of the proposal to Tuttle Orchards. The proposal was set to be heard at the May 27 Hancock County Area Plan Commission meeting before the petition was withdrawn.

“The Hancock County MegaSite remains a strategically important opportunity to advance the County’s economic development and infrastructure goals,” the statement read. “But it is equally important that this be a community-focused process. We are committed to working collaboratively and ensuring we get this right.”

Surge had previously been part of a public-private agreement proposal in 2022 to develop infrastructure alongside the future Interstate 70 interchange at County Road 200 West alongside several other developers. The proposal was tabled in September 2022 and not revisited.
© 2025 Daily Reporter