Group protests Campground Road data center

A group of residents, critics, and public leaders in Louisville, Kentucky, are actively protesting a hyperscale data center under construction on Campground Road in Southwest Louisville. The project, spanning over 150 acres and featuring seven warehouse-sized buildings, a dedicated substation, and backup generators, has been criticized since its announcement and is expected to have its first phase come online in October.

Organized under the name "No Data Centers 502," the group recently rallied outside Metro Hall, joined by District 3 Councilwoman Shamika Parish. Their primary objective is to halt the construction of the Campground Road data center and prevent any future similar projects. This demonstration followed their interruption of Mayor Craig Greenberg's press conference earlier in the week, asserting that over 80% of Louisville residents oppose the hyperscale data center.

The Mayor's Office released a statement acknowledging that the current project was permitted under existing regulations in an area already zoned for heavy industrial use. However, Mayor Greenberg is proposing new regulations designed to ban future hyperscale data centers, protect utility customers, strengthen neighborhood and environmental protections, increase transparency, and ensure prevailing wages during construction. These proposed regulations are the result of months of public feedback, including six public meetings and thousands of submitted comments.

Despite the proposed changes for future developments, the protesting group and Councilwoman Parish are pushing for stronger regulations that would also impact the currently ongoing Campground Road project, rather than only affecting subsequent ones. Public hearings on these proposed regulations are still upcoming, and "No Data Center 502" plans to continue its advocacy.