INDIANAPOLIS — The Pike Township Residents Association voted Wednesday night on a recommendation to oppose a proposed data center that could be built in a forested area near 79th Street and Township Line Road.
Hundreds of residents packed an auditorium at New Augusta North Public Academy to hear American Tower Company’s plans and voice concerns about the project. After the meeting, the association voted not to recommend the rezoning request to the City of Indianapolis.
“My community has made it very clear, as well as the residents of this entire township, that we don’t want data centers,” said Demetrice Hicks, Pike Township Board Member, District 2.
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American Tower Company is seeking to rezone about seven acres of its 56-acre property to build an unmanned, 20,000-square-foot edge data center. The site is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and includes one of the last large forested areas along the Michigan Road corridor.
Residents raised concerns about environmental impacts, wildlife, energy use and the long-term future of the building.
“I have concern about the impact on the environment and concern about the impact on the community,” said Jane Howard, who lives near the proposed site.
Howard said the forest is home to wildlife and sits near Crooked Creek. She also questioned what would happen to the facility as technology changes.
“What kind of facility we’re going to leave behind for our kids and our grandkids? I want to make sure that we are paying attention to the kind of businesses that are going to be good for our community,” Howard said.
Company representatives answered dozens of questions during the meeting and said the project is intended to be long-term.
“We want to make sure this is profitable and want to make sure this is long-term,” a representative said. “We aren’t Meta, we aren’t Google and we don’t have this money to just throw around.”
Representatives also said the facility, including generators, would be built all at once.
Despite the presentation, some residents said they left the meeting unconvinced.
“I don’t feel any better,” Howard said. “It doesn’t appear that anyone’s listening to the community.”
The Pike Township Residents Association’s vote is advisory. The Department of Metropolitan Development will ultimately decide whether to approve American Tower Company’s rezoning request.
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