An Indianapolis City-County Council committee pushed forward a moratorium on new data centers Monday, after months of protests and demands from community members to slow down the approval of the tech developments.
Council President Maggie Lewis introduced an amendment to pause any new approvals for data centers until Dec. 31, 2027. She said it would give officials more time to create zoning regulations for data centers.
The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee voted 10-3 to recommend the moratorium for approval. The committee also approved a new special zoning class for data centers.
The ordinance now heads to the full Indianapolis City-County Council. The council’s next meeting is Aug. 10. If approved, it would then go to the Metropolitan Development Commission.
Councilor Jesse Brown voted for the policy but said it should have happened earlier. He previously authorized a non-binding measure supporting a data center moratorium.
"It should have been done when Franklin Township was dealing with this last year,” Brown said after the meeting, referring to Google's withdrawal of its rezoning proposal in 2025 for a data center on the south side of Marion County. “But it's better late than never, right?”
In May, a data center was approved for the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood despite community opposition and concerns about environmental impact
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.
Before Monday’s meeting of the Indianapolis City-County Council’s Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee, dozens of protesters gathered outside of the City-County Building to rally in support of the moratorium.
Councilors Michael-Paul Hart and Derek Cahill expressed concern about the amendment as written. Both argued it doesn’t contain a specific definition of data centers.
“It still leaves a certain level of vulnerability,” Hart said.
The staff of the Department of Metropolitan Development expressed its support for a moratorium, telling councilors it welcomes the move, telling councilors they welcome the move so the city can “carry out the additional directive of conducting further research and stakeholder engagement.”
The amendment also gained the approval of Mayor Joe Hogsett, who wrote a statement on social media after the vote.
"I support the proposed data center moratorium and welcome the additional time to continue this vital conversation," Hogsett wrote.
"I recognize that this is an incredibly important issue for our residents, and we look forward to engaging with neighbors, experts, and stakeholders in the coming months."
On July 15, the development commission will hold a final vote on a variance change request by Georgia-based DC Blox to construct a data center on Indianapolis’ east side.
Farrah Anderson is WFYI's investigative health reporter. You can follow her on X at @farrahsoa or by email at fanderson@wfyi.org
