Decatur Township residents ask courts to review data center decision

Residents of Decatur Township, Indianapolis, specifically those in close proximity to a proposed $4 billion data center campus, have filed a lawsuit asking the courts to review a zoning decision. The lawsuit, filed on April 17 in Marion County Superior Court by the Decatur Township Civic Council and several residents, challenges the Metropolitan Development Commission's March 18 approval of Sabey Data Center Properties LLC's variance of use request. The 250MW "data center technology park" is planned for 130 acres at the northeast corner of Camby Road and Kentucky Avenue, land already zoned for light industrial use, thus bypassing a full rezoning process. Local residents, represented by environmental law and property rights attorney Arie Lipinski, express significant concerns regarding the data center's large electricity and water demands, and potential long-term impacts of a hyperscale facility. They argue the project conflicts with the city's comprehensive plan, which recommends village mixed-use development for the site, and that the data center would generate noise, air pollution, water contamination risks, and fire safety hazards near residential areas. The lawsuit will also test how courts handle data center litigation in Indianapolis, which currently lacks a strict data center code, although the Department of Metropolitan Development recently released a draft ordinance to streamline such projects. Spokespeople for the Indianapolis City-County Council and the Metropolitan Development Commission, both defendants, declined comment due to pending litigation. Sabey Data Center Properties and Strategic Capital Partners, the current landowner, also did not respond to requests for comment. Randi Berryman, founder of Protect Decatur Township, a grassroots group organized against the development, stated that neighbors directly surrounding the property planned the judicial review and have raised over $10,000 for legal and court fees through GoFundMe and local fundraising events to support their attorney, Laureen White.