Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission (MDC) passes scaled-back data center by DC Blox amidst city backlash
The AI Data Center Wars continue. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission voted in favor of a scaled down data center proposed by DC Blox.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis City-County Council committee recommended to the mayor support for a moratorium measure proposed by Council President Maggie A. Lewis.
The fight over data centers is raging around various parts of the country where data centers are located or planned.
The Metropolitan Development Commission voted 6-1 Wednesday to approve a scaled-back data center campus on Indianapolis’ east side in Warren Township. The vote comes after Georgia-based developer DC Blox cut its original proposal from three buildings to two and reduced the number of diesel generators on site by half. DC Blox initially proposed a $2 billion campus with three buildings totaling up to 420,000 square feet and housing up to 56 diesel generators. The proposed campus is at the corner of South Kitley Avenue and the Pennsy Trail in the East Gate neighborhood. After community pushback, the developer proposed two buildings instead of three, with 25 fewer backup diesel generators and a larger buffer south of the Pennsy Trail. DC Blox said the project will be built in two phases — a one-story, 70,000-square-foot building expected to be completed within two years, followed by a two-story, 250,000-square-foot building roughly five years out. The site of the proposed data center is on the border of two districts represented by members of the City-County Council — Councilor Andy Nielsen and Councilor Michael-Paul Hart. The councilors disagree on the development. Nielsen, who is against the proposal, largely based on the dissent from the community. In his comments at the meeting, Nielsen said that 83% of the respondents of a survey he put out to gauge community support said they were opposed to the data center. REPORTING: Farrah Anderson For more coverage, go to the link in our bio. #WFYINews#Indiana