INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis community leaders are pushing back against a proposed $500 million data center in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, as City-County Councilors prepare to examine how these facilities are approved and looked at citywide.
Metrobloks says it hopes to build the data center on Sherman Drive in an area that is currently vacant. However, One Voice Martindale-Brightwood remains firmly opposed to the project.
"In our community, we're still vehemently opposed to the data center," said Cierra Johnson, vice president of One Voice Martindale-Brightwood. "I know that other people are eager to invest in AI development for our community."
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Johnson said residents are ready to fight for their neighborhood.
"People want to stand up for what's theirs. Our neighborhoods belong to us. We live there each and every day," Johnson said. "So neighbors are excited to show up and show out and show them what Martindale-Brightwood believes in."
After months of pushback, City-County Councilors say they are preparing to more closely examine how these facilities are approved around Indianapolis and whether the city needs clearer guidelines before moving forward.
City-County Councilor Vop Osili, who represents District 12, said it's important to establish proper oversight.
"Important that we have guardrails in place in response to the concerns of our citizenry," Osili said.
Osili says he is in the process of sponsoring a proposal centered around data centers.
"There is a proposal that is drafted, that I am the sponsor for, which provides guardrails, outlines prohibitions on where a data center might possibly go, providing transparency on power and water consumption," Osili said.
Some councilors are hearing calls for even stronger action from their constituents.
"What I'm hearing from my constituents is they want a total moratorium on data centers, which is basically hitting the pause button for an extended amount of time," said City-County Councilor Jesse Brown, who represents District 13.
Brown and Councilor Crista Wells helped introduce a proposal for a special resolution urging companies behind large data centers to be more transparent with communities and to refrain from seeking local tax abatements. The resolution failed this week by a narrow margin, but Brown said more proposals could be coming.
"I just think that development is a good thing when it's done right. But to be done right, that means it has to be done according to what the community wants," Brown said.
Johnson said the lack of transparency around data centers' impact on residents is concerning.
"We don't have nearly enough transparency about how these data centers affect real residents, and so it's really encouraging to see the city council move in that direction," Johnson said.
For neighbors like Johnson, they are prepared for the long haul.
"We see the consequences happening in real time, and so we're here to stand together and support each other across the state," Johnson said.
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Adam Schumes is the In Your Community reporter for East Side Indy. He joined WRTV in December of 2021. Adam has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at adam.schumes@wrtv.com.
