INDIANAPOLIS — A controversial $500 million data center project in Indianapolis' Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood faces another month of uncertainty after Thursday's hearing was continued.
Dozens of people packed the public assembly room, hoping to sway the city's decision on the Metrobloks project.
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"We have been in strong opposition to this from the beginning, and we demand transparency and action on our behalf from our elected officials," said Cierra Johnson, vice president of One Voice Martindale-Brightwood.
Johnson and the organization have long opposed the proposed data center project. She said they are waiting to see what the city-county council's proposal will look like, centered around data centers.
Those supporting the controversial data center say adding it to the area would bring much-needed growth to a space that's been vacant for quite some time. Those against the data center say it's not in the best interests of the neighborhood.
"We've seen that whole area decline. And all of us would love to see it improve, but this, what they're proposing with a data center, is exactly the opposite of that," said Sharon Lepper, an east side resident.
City-County Councilor Ron Gibson, who represents the 8th district that includes Martindale-Brightwood, supports the project.
"I've said this often that all data centers, you can't put them in the same box. There's some that are bad for our community, and there's some, frankly, that are good for our community," Gibson said. "And I believe Metroblock is one of those kind of investments that we should pursue."
Gibson and the attorney who represents Metrobloks argued that the project should have been heard on Thursday.
"This process began in September," said Tyler Ochs, associate attorney at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP.
Now time will tell to see if the proposed data center moves forward or not.
Johnson said the opposition will continue their efforts.
"We're gonna keep showing up every step of the way so that people in Martindale-Brightwood can make their voices heard," Johnson said.
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.
