This year, Indianapolis has approved data center projects on two brownfields on the east side. Many residents have opposed the projects, some citing concerns over the environmental and health risks of building on a brownfield.
But what is a brownfield? And are there risks to developing on these sites? Mirror Indy spoke to state agencies and researchers to find out more.
What is a brownfield?
A brownfield is a piece of land that is hard to redevelop or reuse because of the presence, or possible presence, of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.
A variety of properties can be brownfields, such as former gas stations or factories.
For example, California-based developer Metrobloks has been approved to build a data center on a brownfield in Martindale Brightwood. The property, the former Sherman Drive-In Theater, has sat vacant since the 1980s. State testing found metal in the soil and that the groundwater did not meet state drinking water criteria.
The other data center project approved will be developed at the former Ford-Visteon manufacturing site near Irvington. Georgia developer DC Blox plans to build a $2 billion data center campus on the site, which is now part of the Thunderbird Commerce Center industrial park. When the Ford plant closed, years of heavy manufacturing meant contaminated soil was left behind.
Who oversees brownfields in Indiana?
The Indiana Finance Authority manages the Indiana Brownfields Program. Through the program, the agency works with other state and federal groups to ensure future brownfield development is safe for human health and the environment. The program helps with the financial, technical or legal assistance needed in brownfield redevelopment.
Indiana doesn’t keep a list of all brownfields in the state, but the finance authority does keep track of sites that have voluntarily entered the Indiana Brownfields Program.
What type of redevelopment is allowed on brownfields?
The type of development allowed on a brownfield depends on the site’s condition, and if there are any land use restrictions applied to the property that prohibit certain types of development or uses.
Some properties might have what’s called an environmental restrictive convent, a legal document that limits future land use to prevent exposure to leftover contamination. For example, the property DC Blox plans to build on has several restrictions. The land can’t be used for residential or agricultural use, and using the groundwater on property is also prohibited.
Is cleanup necessary before redevelopment happens?
Not all brownfields require cleanup before new development happens. Finance authority officials told Mirror Indy it depends on what is known about the environmental conditions of the property, if there are viable responsible parties that can fund cleanup and where improvements are needed to make the property safe for its intended redevelopment. State and federal environmental cleanup laws also need to be considered.
Jeff Adams, an instructor with Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said there is a misconception that the goal of a cleaning up a brownfield is to get the site back to pristine conditions. Instead, cleanup will ideally help get the site to a state where it doesn’t pose a risk to people’s health or the environment.
Sometimes the best strategy is to dig up contaminants and destroy them. But sometimes it’s better to leave contaminants in the ground and seal them, because digging those up could create more harm. Adams said it’s very important for developers and government agencies to work together during redevelopment to make sure the best practices, and designs, for a site are implemented.
Who is responsible for cleanup?
Finance authority officials told Mirror Indy that the party that caused the contamination, or owned the property at the time of a contaminant release, is typically legally responsible for the cleanup of a brownfield. The agency also said federal and state cleanup laws allow someone to knowingly buy a contaminated property without taking on cleanup liability, as long as they don’t make past contamination worse and mitigate the ways known contamination might be exposed.
In the case of the Ford-Visteon plant near Irvington, in 2024 the state acknowledged that Ford had successfully remediated the site required to bring the property into compliance. DC Blox agreed to continue following federal and state requirements for any brownfield cleanup.
Why are data center companies choosing to build on brownfields?
Indianapolis does not currently have zoning designations for data centers. The city passed a moratorium on data center projects earlier this month that will give city officials time to create zoning standards. Prior to this pause, officials were considering data centers under industrial zoning requirements. Brownfields can be attractive to developers because many are already zoned for industrial use.
And developers will often pitch their projects as a good opportunity to redevelop contaminated land that has long been vacant.
Brownfields can also be less expensive than other larger parcels of land, and are often near substations or transmission lines with the capacity needed to power the data centers.
How can I find out more information on brownfields?
More information about the Indiana Brownfields Program can be found on the Indiana Finance Authority’s website. The U.S. Environmental Protective Agency’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization program provides grants and assistance to communities. The public can also search documents about brownfields, such as reports, with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s virtual file cabinet.
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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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