A proposal for a massive southside data center cleared a key hurdle this week despite opposition of nearby residents and at least two members of the City-County Council.
Yet while dozens of residents attended a June 26 rezoning meeting to oppose the redevelopment of hundreds of acres of farmland, the city’s hearing examiner decided to provide a positive recommendation for the project.
“When you move by property that’s not developed, underdeveloped or used for agriculture, you need to understand that at some point there’s probably going to be some kind of development on that site,” said Judy Weerts Hall, the hearing examiner. “And unless you own the property, you can certainly have input, but ultimately you aren’t able to say what exactly is going to go on that site.”
The result came as a blow for southsiders who have been mustering opposition for months.
“Really disappointed in the whole outcome,” said Franklin Township resident Andrew Filler. “I thought we had enough support from our community. Even our city councilor spoke in favor for us, not the development.”
Proponents of the data center say the plan could provide more jobs, attract new families to the southside and boost the economy. The proposal also includes plans to revitalize the area with a new pedestrian trail and green space.
A lawyer representing the company behind the project, Delaware-based Deep Meadow Ventures, also emphasized the development would lead to infrastructure improvements for the south side.
“We are doing things that are above and beyond just taking money away, and we do believe that this is a very appropriate project for this area,” the lawyer, Joseph Calderon, said during the hearing.
Still, that’s not enough for southsiders who want to know who is behind Deep Meadow Ventures, which has declined to disclose its corporate ownership.
They also have concerns about the potential for increased utility bills, as well as potential water, light and noise pollution. All told, the development could include up to four buildings across 468 acres at Post Road and Troy Avenue.
Now, some residents are vowing to go door-to-door to build an even larger network to fight the project. They are hoping to do so before the project proposal hits its next step, which is a Metropolitan Development Commission meeting on July 16.
Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, the Republican who represents the area, also said he’ll push for his colleagues on the City-County Council to intervene.
He said he thinks the community needs a mutually beneficial developer, like a manufacturing company, that would hire staff locally and contribute tax revenue so schools can increase teacher pay.
“We should not be blocking up one of the largest remaining land opportunities in Franklin Township for a project that offers limited jobs, reduced tax benefits and long term restrictions on infrastructure growth,” Hart said during the meeting. “We must do better for our residents, our schools and the future of the district.”
Data centers ‘an emerging issue’
Hart isn’t the only councilor who has publicly expressed opposition to the project.
City-County Councilor John Barth, a Democrat who represents the north side, couldn’t attend the June 26 hearing. But he told Mirror Indy that morning that the land on Indy’s south side could be used for other initiatives, such as affordable housing.
Barth also wants councilors to review other cities’ data center policies, such as those in Atlanta, before making a formal decision.
“This is an emerging issue,” said Barth, who chairs the council’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. “It’s an issue that has the potential to have such dire effects on the environment and such incredible limitations on future use of land, that we can’t make these decisions quickly or without deep analysis and consideration and public engagement.”
Data centers are buildings that contain computers that store, process and distribute data. They are crucial for accessing the internet, text messages and emails.
Now, tech giants are buying large plots of land in order to create much larger data centers that can support advancements in artificial intelligence.
And it comes as Indiana laws allow data centers to receive significant sales tax exemptions.
Concerns about climate, energy costs and public services
In May, Barth also joined Mo McReynolds, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability, in a letter expressing concern for energy demands.
“City planners’ recommendations cannot take into account the public health repercussions incurred by meeting the monumental energy demand,” the letter reads. “The data center’s unprecedented reliance on electricity and water poses serious environmental and public health concerns for the generations of Indianapolis community members to come.”
In an email to Mirror Indy last month, AES staff didn’t clarify how energy needed for data centers could affect its goals to reduce its carbon emissions, or whether the company considered using renewable energy sources for the project.
Hart, meanwhile, works for a company that builds data centers and understands the technology they produce.
He stressed that he and his company don’t have any connection to the proposed development, and he also questions whether AES Indiana can keep up with the energy needed to power a data center, residential areas and future manufacturers.
Calderon, the lawyer representing the project, said Deep Meadow Ventures has worked with local utility providers like Citizens Energy Group to mitigate possible complications that could affect the community.
“We’ve gone to the trouble to reach out to Citizens and AES at this early stage for support letters to assure folks that, no, they are not going to be without water and power,” Calderon said during the hearing.