Another data center has been approved by Indianapolis officials, despite months of opposition from eastside residents.
Georgia-based developer DC Blox proposed the $2 billion campus near South Kitley Avenue and the Pennsy Trail. The project would be constructed on a brownfield — contaminated land — located on the Thunderbird Commerce Center property, an industrial park that was once home to a Ford plant.
In a 6 to 1 vote July 15, the Metropolitan Development Commission gave the go ahead. No further approvals are needed, though it’s possible the protesters may take the issue to court.
A few dozen community members, many wearing red in protest, gathered outside the City-County Building before the meeting.
Eastsider Mikey Hess, a coordinator for Eastside Community Action, led the group in several chants, including “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! DC Blox has got to go!” and “The people, united, will never be defeated!”
Hess lives about two miles from the site. Like other neighbors, Hess is concerned about pollution, an increase in utility bills and the site’s proximity to Irvington Community Elementary School. The school is just across the Pennsy Trail from the project site.
The vote comes the same week a committee of city-county councilors advanced a moratorium on approval of new data centers through 2027. Mayor Joe Hogsett backed the proposal in a statement of support.
The proposed moratorium would not affect data centers already approved by the MDC, including DC Blox and ones in Decatur Township and Martindale Brightwood.
DC Blox scaled back the plans
One week before the July 15 meeting, DC Blox scaled back the original plans for the data center campus. The new plans feature a two-building campus and 31 diesel generators. The company estimates the project will create about 600 temporary jobs during construction and 21 permanent jobs once the campus is completed.
The new plans also shift the development closer to the center of the Thunderbird Commerce Center. Representatives for DC Blox said this shift will create more green space and a larger buffer between the data center campus and the elementary school.
During the public comment period of the hearing, members of the Irvington Community Schools board urged the MDC to deny the project. The board oversees three charter schools in the area.
“Our students, our families and our staff are the closest neighbors this project has,” said board chair Heather Rodriguez.
Board members said the school was not properly notified about the project. They also argued the development does not meet the variance of use criteria.
“What they are really asking for, a permanent change to what this land may be used for, next to an elementary school, is a rezoning dressed up as a variance,” Rodriguez said. “And it belongs before the City-County Council, with the full record that process demands.”
DC Blox published a list of community commitments on its website. Those commitments include paying for all utility costs, only running generator tests outside of school hours and following state and federal brownfield cleanup requirements. The company has also committed to contributing at least $20,000 every year to the Pennsy Trail for five years.
A lawyer representing DC Blox at the meeting said United Way of Central Indiana will lead a community listening session Aug. 5 to continue conversations with residents.
But a spokesperson for United Way later told Mirror Indy the nonprofit had “preliminary conversations about community information sharing and dialogue, but did not commit to convening a listening session.”
Representatives for DC Blox did not comment on why the lawyer said United Way would be leading the Aug. 5 listening session. They did tell Mirror Indy the Aug. 5 listening session has been canceled
Hess, the coordinator for Eastside Community Action, said the commitments are weak.
“They’re just publishing commitments,” Hess said. “It seems like none of that is really enforceable. It seems just like more empty words.”
Residents aren’t giving up
Hess said residents are prepared to file an appeal for judicial review. The Eastside Community Action is collecting money for a defense fund.
“We are ready. We have people canvassing, I am talking to different officials, I’m communicating with everybody. I’m letting everybody know that this is not going to stand. We’re not going to rest.”
A request for judicial review must be filed within 30 days of the MDC’s decision.
A clarification was made on July 21, 2026: This story was updated to clarify United Way of Central Indiana’s involvement with DC Blox.
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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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