For the past year, hundreds of Indy residents have been pleading with their elected officials to stop developers from building data centers.
The City-County Council appears to be listening.
A committee of councilors voted 10-3 along party lines July 13 to advance a moratorium on approval of new data centers, which would take effect through the end of 2027. Along the way, Mayor Joe Hogsett, a Democrat, also released a statement in support of the moratorium.
The vote came in the form of an amendment to the Metropolitan Development Commission’s proposed data center regulations. Critics of that ordinance said it failed to include “meaningful protections” for residents. The nine-member commission is responsible for approving changes in zoning regulations.
Prior to the vote, councilors heard public testimony from more than two dozen community members. All but one expressed support for a moratorium.
“We fought hard to protect our community from Google,” said Meredith Sharp, an activist who resisted the tech giant’s effort to build a 500-acre data center in Franklin Township. “I’m back today with the same issue, yet a different fight.”
Pumping the brakes on new data centers would allow city staff to meet with experts and community members to assess the health and environmental concerns associated with data centers, said City-County Council President Maggie Lewis, a westside Democrat who authored the amendment.
“It is clear that there is still work to be done with industry experts, the administration, the council, and the community at large,” Lewis said. “I felt that it was important enough that we should give pause to allow for conversations to continue, especially for those individuals that felt like they haven’t been heard or weren’t given the opportunity to be at the table.”
The three Republicans on the committee voted against the measure. They said Lewis’ amendment should have established a definition for data centers, something not currently defined in the city’s zoning code.
Hogsett shows support
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Martin DeAgostino, a Fall Creek resident, said the mayor needs to weigh in.
Hogsett has said he remains neutral on zoning decisions, but he serves as board president of Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc., the city’s economic development agency, which supports data centers.
“The council must insist the mayor speak to this issue, not hide behind the veil of, ‘This is a land use issue,’” DeAgostino said. “We deserve to know what our top official thinks.”
About 15 minutes later, DeAgostino got his wish: Hogsett released a statement on social media during the public hearing indicating his support for the moratorium.
“I support the proposed data center moratorium and welcome the additional time to continue this vital conversation,” Hogsett’s statement read, in part.
A long way to go
The moratorium still needs to be approved by the full council. If that happens, it will then go back to the MDC for approval.
The commission is made up of nine members. Five of those members are appointed by the mayor, while the remaining four are appointed by the council.
It’s unclear if the MDC would approve a moratorium, but the mayor’s backing greatly increases its chances of passing.
The moratorium would not impact projects that have already been approved, such as the California-based Metrobloks’ data center in Martindale Brightwood and the Washington-based Sabey data center in Decatur Township.
It also wouldn’t apply to developers that have already submitted plans, like Georgia-based DC BLOX, which wants to build a $2 billion data center in Irvington.
Indy residents like Kevin Nichols, who works for the Indy-based environmental advocacy group Earth Charter Indiana, say councilors need to pass a moratorium before more projects move forward.
“This moment is urgent, because it should have happened months ago to protect those communities,” Nichols said.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations. Sign up for our free newsletters.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
