SOUTH BEND — After the St. Joseph County Council voted 7-2 to reject a zoning change to allow Western Hospitality Partners to build a data center outside New Carlisle, proposed plans have surfaced for the construction of a 300-acre data center within city limits.
That came as a surprise to at-large South Bend Common Council member Oliver Davis, who told The Tribune he became aware of the possibility of another data center being built, as he put it, right under the community’s nose from a farmer who was concerned about an issue in his neighborhood.
The data center’s potential site is near three farms, and, Davis said, all three owners have expressed worries about the environmental impact the centers could have on their livelihood.
“They said no one was talking to them around the city," he said, "and they asked me if I had heard anything about it.”
He hadn't. The farmers, who, Davis said, have grappled with issues regarding their aquifers and wastewater drainage from the South Bend Ethanol plant, were shocked to see another obstacle coming their way that no one has heard anything about.
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