IDEM to host virtual public hearing about Hobart wetlands project
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has rescheduled a virtual public hearing for a permit concerning a wetlands project in Hobart. This industrial development, proposed by Schottenstein Property Group, would impact over five acres of wetlands and a stream, drawing strong opposition from local environmental groups due to environmental concerns and its proximity to an existing Amazon data center.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has rescheduled a virtual public hearing for August 19 regarding a permit for a wetlands project in Hobart. The proposed industrial development, spearheaded by Schottenstein Property Group with V3 Companies as the project agent, is slated to impact 5.49 acres of wetlands and 325 linear feet of stream channel near the intersection of U.S. 30 and Colorado Street. IDEM clarifies that this project is distinct from the Hobart data center located near 61st Avenue and Colorado Street.
Ashley Williams, executive director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana, expressed strong opposition to the permit, emphasizing the cumulative environmental burden on communities already facing industrial pollution. Williams highlighted the project's proximity to the Amazon Hobart Tech Park data center campus, against which residents have actively organized. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also voiced concerns to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the project's potential impact on nearly all of the site's wetlands, with the Army Corps permit still pending.