Showdown over Google's data center project set for Indianapolis council hearing

“Go away, Google!”

The chant echoed outside the City-County Building as protesters held signs reading “Protect Franklin Township,” just before councilors approved a final hearing in the fight over Google’s proposed $1 billion data center.

On Monday evening, all 25 City-County Council members backed the Sept. 22 hearing, where both Google and opposing residents will present their cases before the council votes on the rezoning request. That decision could overturn the recent approval from the rezoning committee.

Another potential, but rare, outcome is for the Protect Franklin Township community group and Google’s Deep Meadow Ventures to negotiate a compromise with the City-County Council’s attorney.

But many who gathered outside the meeting on Monday just want to see the project stopped.

Protestors were joined by several councilors who will decide the project’s fate — including Democratic City-County Councilor Jesse Brown, who publicly said he will vote against the data center.

“It’s not something the residents want, it’s not good for our city, and so we just need to kill this project,” he said.

Data centers are buildings that store and process huge amounts of digital information. Companies are trying to build more with the rise of artificial intelligence and demand for more data storage. Indiana is becoming a fast-growing destination for tech companies to build data centers because of generous tax incentives and access to large amounts of land.
 

Michael-Paul Hart, the city-county councilor who represents the district where the data center would be built, has also criticized the deal. He points to the city’s generous tax abatements for data centers and its ability to monopolize development in Franklin Township.

“The core issue here is not whether development will happen, but what kind of development we choose,” Hart told the Metropolitan Development Commission at the Aug. 21 meeting, where the Metropolitan Development Commission voted to advance Google’s plan.

“That choice must be based on public feedback, my analysis, and the opportunity costs to other areas in my district.”

Residents have opposed the project for months, citing concerns that the data center would consume massive amounts of water and power while offering few jobs or tax benefits in return.
 

Local organizers say they intend to keep the pressure ahead of the Sept. 22 hearing.
“It's not over till we got it in writing,” said Andrew Filler, a Franklin Township resident and organizer with Protect Franklin Township, the group leading the opposition.

“We're not gonna give up until we know for sure.”

Farrah Anderson is an investigative health reporter with WFYI and Side Effects Public Media. You can follow her on X at @farrahsoa or by email at fanderson@wfyi.org.