Many Martindale Brightwood residents are pushing back against a proposed data center in the neighborhood.
About 50 community members attended a public meeting to hear from the developer and learn more about the project. But after 2 hours, many weren’t satisfied with what they heard.
Some neighborhood residents just wanted more information. Most people who spoke were against the idea of putting a data center in their neighborhood — and others cheered along with the criticism.
One Voice Martindale Brightwood organized the meeting Sept. 23 at Frederick Douglass Park.
The organization did not allow media to record the meeting, saying they wanted residents to feel comfortable asking questions. The developer and City-County Councilor Ron Gibson, a Democrat who represents the neighborhood, spoke to reporters after the meeting.
What is being proposed?
Los Angeles-based developer Metrobloks wants to build a 14-acre data center on a piece of undeveloped land in Martindale Brightwood.
Metrobloks CEO Ernest Popescu said this data center would be different from the more than 400-acre Google data center that had been proposed on the south side of Indianapolis.
“I think the first thing that’s different is that this is small, considered by today’s standards,” Popescu said.
There’s also not a single tenant lined up.
Popescu said Metrobloks would plan to rent space to multiple companies. In the meeting, he mentioned hosting servers for hospitals, cell phone companies and gaming storage. But he told residents he does not currently know what companies would rent space.
Where is the site?
The site for the proposed data center is the former Sherman Drive-In Theater at 2505 N. Sherman Drive. The lot has sat vacant since the 1980s. Popescu said he was interested in the site for a number of reasons, including that it met the conditions needed for a data center.
“Data centers need a few conditions to exist and come to market, to fruition,” Popescu said. “It’s power, it’s having the right zoning and it’s fiber. And that location happened to have everything.”
The land is already zoned for industrial use. A lawyer representing Metrobloks said the site would still need to go through rezoning in order to meet the state’s requirements for data centers.
Popescu said he is also interested in the site because of the state’s tax incentives.
Concerns from residents
Many residents were concerned that the data center would not be for the community. They’re worried about increased property taxes and utility costs. Several mentioned the desire for development that would create jobs for the people who live in the area.
Martindale Brightwood is a historically middle class, predominantly Black neighborhood on the east side. The neighborhood is home to Martin University and recently certified its quality of life plan with the city. When the most recent census was taken, the neighborhood’s median household income was about $24,000. That’s compared to Marion County’s median household income of $48,000.
Popescu said data centers don’t create many jobs, and the few jobs that are created are highly skilled. He said temporary jobs, such as construction, could be created during the process.
Residents also voiced concerns about the environmental and health impacts that development on the site might have. The site is a brownfield — meaning the land could be polluted or contaminated — and Popescu said further environmental studies will be completed.
Residents also noted there aren’t any large bodies of water near the site and asked how Popescu planned to get water needed for cooling.
Popescu said he hadn’t thought of that, but would likely connect it to the city’s water. A large data center could use up to 5 million gallons of water a day.
But Popescu said the Metrobloks center would be more sustainable because it would use a closed-loop water system. That means the water would be recycled and stay on site, instead of going back into the community. He said it would only use a couple thousand gallons of water each year for cooling and expects to lose 5% to evaporation.
Gibson hasn’t signed on yet
Gibson, the local councilor, said he received a call from a representative for Metrobloks a few months ago. He initially indicated his support, but said he has not officially decided to get behind the development.
“I know how it is to be left out of a decision process,” Gibson told reporters after the meeting. “I’m all about engaging in the process. If my neighborhood leaders tell me that this is not good for us, I will sign off.”
Gibson was the only councilor to publicly support the proposed Google data center.
What’s next?
Popescu said Metrobloks is still in the early stages of the process. A formal petition for site development has not been filed. Metrobloks plans to do more community engagement in the next few months, including holding more meetings.
The meetings have not been scheduled yet.
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Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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