Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie Lewis announced Friday that she will introduce a moratorium on approvals for new data centers in Marion County.
Lewis said she will introduce the amendment at the council's Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee meeting Monday, as it considers a proposed zoning framework for data centers. The moratorium would temporarily halt approvals while city leaders continue evaluating how to regulate the rapidly expanding industry.
The announcement comes after months of protests at city meetings and calls from residents to pause new approvals while the Department of Metropolitan Development revises zoning regulations for data centers.
Data centers have become a major focus of Indiana's economic development strategy, but they're also wildly controversial. Community members and environmental advocates have raised concerns about the facilities' heavy water and energy demands as development expands across Indiana and the Midwest.
Across Indiana, at least 17 counties enacted temporary moratoriums, and two — Marshall and Cass — banned new data centers altogether.
In a statement, Lewis said the pause would give the council, city administration, industry experts and community stakeholders time to evaluate the long-term impacts of data centers, including infrastructure demands, utility capacity, environmental concerns, economic outcomes and neighborhood quality of life.
"This is not about slowing progress," Lewis wrote. "It is about exercising responsible leadership and ensuring that decisions of this magnitude are made through a thoughtful, transparent, and data-driven process."
The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee meeting is 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Public Assembly Room in the City-County Building. The meeting will be live streamed on Channel 16.
Farrah Anderson is WFYI's investigative health reporter. You can follow her on X at @farrahsoa or by email at fanderson@wfyi.org
