After Indianapolis officials approved three data centers, they temporarily banned the developments amid ongoing protests, lawsuits and questions about the potential negative effects on neighborhoods.
Now, a new City-County committee will study data centers, propose regulations for future development projects next year and hopes to shape public engagement.
The committee was created in August under a moratorium on new data centers in Marion County through the end of 2027. It’s designed for Metropolitan Development Commission staff to consult with experts and community members for new zoning regulations that would apply to future data centers.
Planning and consultant firm MKSK will lead the committee, according to a press release from the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development. The firm previously consulted on the LEAP Innovation District in Lebanon, which includes a $10 billion data center campus.
The committee’s primary research partner is the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute.
Data centers can be the size of a warehouse or facilities spanning hundreds of acres. They are filled with servers that store, process and transmit the digital information people rely on every day, from artificial intelligence to social media and business records.
The committee will examine several issues around data center developments, including public health impacts, resource management and fiscal impacts. It will also look at regulatory issues on size standards, maximum building height and footprint, sound levels, brownfield and other environmental concerns, and plans for generator testing and electronic waste disposal.
The City-County Council approved the moratorium on Aug. 10, with the MDC enacting it on Aug. 19. The council approved $150,000 to fund the committee on Sept. 19, with the MDC approving an additional $150,000 Oct. 7 for a total of $300,000.
The committee will include:
- Pat Andrews, the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations, representing community voices
- Ben Inskeep, Citizens Action Coalition, a consumer advocacy group
- Shannon Killion, The White River Alliance, an environmental consortium
- Shandy Dearth, IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Jason Ravenscroft, Marion County Public Health Department
- Jon Hooker, Central Indiana Building Trades Council, representing construction workers
- Jim Staton, electric utility AES Indiana
- Bridget O’Connor, gas and water utility Citizens Energy Group
- Taylor Hughes, The Indy Chamber
- Andrea Richter-Garry, Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc.
- John Barth, Indianapolis City-County Council councilor
- Gundeep Singh, a technology expert
Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the committee’s activities throughout the process, with opportunities for written and oral testimony during public hearings for the zoning regulations. DMD will share information about a kick-off event, when the committee will first meet and other engagement opportunities in the coming weeks.
Trena Roudebush, a spokesperson for DMD, said the department anticipates the committee will begin meeting by the end of this year or early next year, while the proposed zoning ordinance could be introduced toward the end of summer 2027. The moratorium on new data centers will end by Dec. 31, 2027.
The pause on developments won't affect the three data center projects already approved by Marion County officials: DC Blox in Warren Township, Metrobloks in Martindale-Brightwood, and Sabey in Decatur Township.
Contact WFYI data journalist Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org
