East side data center wins approval, despite community opposition

The Metropolitan Development Commission voted 6-1 to approve a revised data center campus on Indianapolis' east side in Warren Township. This decision followed a reduction in the scope of the project by Georgia-based developer DC BLOX, who cut the proposal from three buildings to two and decreased the number of diesel generators by half.

DC BLOX initially proposed a $2 billion campus featuring three buildings spanning 420,000 square feet and equipped with up to 56 diesel generators. After considerable community pushback, the developer amended the plan to include two buildings, 25 fewer backup diesel generators, and an enlarged buffer south of the Pennsy Trail. The project will proceed in two phases: a 70,000-square-foot building within two years, followed by a 250,000-square-foot building in approximately five years, located at the corner of South Kitley Avenue and the Pennsy Trail in the East Gate neighborhood.

The proposed development lies on the border of districts represented by City-County Councilors Andy Nielsen and Michael-Paul Hart, who hold opposing views on the project. Councilor Nielsen expressed strong opposition, citing a survey he conducted where 83% of community respondents were against the data center.