Protections vs. prosperity is a false choice | Opinion

Jan Cervelli, a Democratic candidate for St. Joseph County Council, District C, has published an opinion piece criticizing incumbent Council Members Diana Hess and Mark Catanzarite for presenting a "false choice" between resident protection and economic prosperity concerning hyperscale data centers. Cervelli challenges their response to her earlier call for a moratorium on new data projects, arguing that residents' concerns extend beyond economic development to include health, safety, welfare, property values, and utility bills. She highlights issues such as air, water, light, and sound pollution, along with skyrocketing energy and water consumption taxing local grids and aquifers. Cervelli asserts that St. Joseph County's current zoning ordinances are ill-equipped to protect residents within the impact zone of large industrial data centers, noting the inadequacy of a mere 50-foot setback from residential areas, even for massive Microsoft data center buildings. She also warns that the county's inaction in upholding its legal obligation to protect the public could lead to litigation, countering the council members' caution that a pause on data centers for zoning revisions might result in court action. The candidate further criticizes the current County Council members for their silence or vague commitments regarding zoning revisions and legal protections. She points out that existing economic development agreements for projects like Amazon and Microsoft involve lucrative tax incentives crafted behind non-disclosure agreements, offering little in return for public protection. Cervelli concludes by urging the County Council to actively pursue a balanced path that combines development incentives with necessary guardrails to protect the quality of life for residents.