Franklin Township

Tax breaks and affordable land have made the Midwest a data center magnet. Now, organized community opposition is making tech giants rethink their plans.

After months of fierce debate, residents are “overwhelmingly joyful” after Google announced it will withdrawal a proposal to rezone nearly 500 acres Franklin Township for a data center campus.

Less than a week before a vote that could determine the fate of a controversial data center campus in southeast Indianapolis, the local school district has come out in support of Google's plan.

The City-County Council will hear from both residents and Google on Sept. 22 before deciding the project’s future.

The proposal now heads to the full Metropolitan Development Commission, which will vote on the controversial rezoning request.

Non-disclosure agreements could influence what is being disclosed to the public about a proposed data center that would rezone hundreds of acres in Franklin Township.

A local fight over a proposed data center in Franklin Township reveals deeper tensions playing out across Indianapolis.

During his eight years in the Indiana Senate, Aaron Freeman has made more than a few enemies among Indianapolis Democrats for routinely meddling in city affairs, leading to accusations he acts as more of a city councilor than state lawmaker.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) denied a permit application to turn wetlands in Marion County into a retail complex last week. Gershman Partners submitted a permit in February to transform wetlands in Franklin Township – on the northeast corner of East County Line Road and South Arlington Avenue – into an area with warehouses and a hotel. IDEM rejected the proposal stating the developers did not show “reasonable alternatives” to destroying the wetlands.

Two of the three incumbents face challengers in three races for seats on the Franklin Township school board. One is running unopposed.