MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — The Morgan County Plan Commission heard two hours of concerns from neighbors of a large proposed data center before ultimately voting to recommend rezoning additional land for it on Monday.
“Who’s actually buying this land?” one man asked during public comment. “You know the answer but you won’t give it to us.”
Tensions rose as residents demanded answers about a data center project driven by a company that has remained in the shadows, still unknown even to commission members themselves.
“I’m up here to make a very painful vote,” said commission member Bill Rumbaugh. “And the accusations have not sat well with me.”
Rumbaugh was among the five out of seven who voted in favor of recommending rezoning.
“I’m old but things are changing and you’ve got to go with it,” he added.
Earlier this year, county commissioners greenlit rezoning 390 acres of agricultural land for the project. Now, the question is whether they will take the plan commission’s recommendation and approve 158 additional acres, despite concerns over noise, traffic and resource use.
“How do you justify the water usage? How do you justify the noise? How do you justify the additional generation to support these sites?” another man asked during public comment.
Joe Calderon, an attorney with Barnes & Thornburg, appeared at the meeting on behalf of HDC Real Estate LLC and Woodland Caribou LLC. He addressed certain questions, telling commission members it has not yet been decided whether the center would be water-cooled or air-cooled.
He added AES identified the site as an “area of interest” due to its high transmission lines. Calderon claimed the project meets standards laid out in the county’s comprehensive plan, which did little to change the overwhelmingly negative reception from the crowded room.
Calderon also represented Google when the company pushed for a data center in Franklin Township before pulling the petition last week.
“There’s better business for Morgan County than big tech,” said Alec Willis, co-organizer for the group Protect Morgan County. “Big tech hasn’t been friendly to the Midwest.”
Morgan County commissioners will meet next Monday. Some protesters say they’ll return to continue making their voices heard.
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