Indy councilors advance data center moratorium with Hogsett’s backing
The Indianapolis City-County Council's committee voted to advance a proposed moratorium on new data centers through the end of 2027, with Mayor Joe Hogsett expressing support for the measure. This action follows extensive community advocacy against data center developments. The moratorium now awaits approval from the full council and the Metropolitan Development Commission.
An Indianapolis City-County Council committee voted 10-3 to advance a moratorium on new data center approvals until the end of 2027, a move supported by Mayor Joe Hogsett. The decision came after hundreds of residents pleaded with officials to halt data center development, with public testimony overwhelmingly backing the moratorium.
The proposed moratorium, authored by City-County Council President Maggie Lewis, is intended to allow city staff, experts, and community members to assess health and environmental concerns associated with data centers. Republican councilors voted against the measure, citing the lack of a clear definition for data centers in the city's zoning code. Mayor Hogsett, who previously maintained neutrality on zoning matters, released a statement during the public hearing expressing his support for the moratorium.
Community activists, including Meredith Sharp and Kevin Nichols from Earth Charter Indiana, have been vocal in their opposition, referencing past efforts to block projects like Google's proposed 500-acre data center in Franklin Township. If approved by the full council and then the Metropolitan Development Commission, the moratorium would not affect already approved projects, such as those by Metrobloks in Martindale Brightwood and Sabey in Decatur Township, or projects with submitted plans like DC BLOX's $2 billion data center in Irvington.