Residents organize as possibility of new Charlestown data center looms
Residents in Charlestown, Clark County, Indiana are actively opposing a proposed data center project. Concerns include potential impacts on water quality, property values, and noise pollution due to its proximity to residential areas and a school. A public hearing was postponed, and a meeting with developers is scheduled as residents continue to gather signatures for a petition.
Residents of Clark County, Indiana, are mobilizing against a proposed data center development in Charlestown. The community's opposition stems from concerns regarding the project's potential environmental impact, specifically on water quality, as well as its effect on property values and noise levels, given its planned location less than a mile from a school and directly across from a subdivision with young children.
Sarah Zehnder, a Charlestown resident, has collected nearly 500 signatures on a petition against the data center, which is slated for High Jackson Road. Charlestown Mayor Treva Hodges has also reportedly received numerous calls from concerned citizens and reached out to the developer, Blue Lake Development, and the company that submitted the proposal, I Own Lewis LLC. Land sales for such projects are typically contingent on regulatory approvals.
A public hearing originally scheduled for the project was postponed. Instead, a meeting with developers is planned for June 15th, intended for those most directly impacted by the proposal. Despite the postponement of the initial hearing, community activists remain determined, stating that "the fight's not done" and they will continue to organize and vocalize their concerns to county leaders.