Indiana Data Center Debate Shifts Toward Guardrails
Digital Realty is proposing a 476-acre data center campus in Kokomo with 3 million square feet of space. The proposal follows the Kokomo Common Council's rezoning of the site and has drawn significant resident and political opposition, while Mayor Tyler Moore is promoting development guardrails instead of a moratorium.
A coalition of AI companies, labor unions and investors is campaigning in Indiana for data center guardrails covering electricity costs, environmental standards, water use and community benefits. The effort comes as at least 24 Indiana counties have enacted data center moratoriums and three have banned the developments, amid widespread public concerns about resource depletion, land preservation, pollution and rising energy costs.
In Kokomo, Mayor Tyler Moore announced that Digital Realty is proposing a 476-acre campus with 3 million square feet of data center space, potentially generating $44 million to $55 million in annual property tax revenue when completed in 2033. The Kokomo Common Council previously rezoned the land for uses including data centers, but residents and local Democrats have criticized the proposal and the mayor's handling of it. Moore supports local union labor and enforceable development standards rather than a moratorium, while public comments show both opposition and support for the project.