Irvington data center poses health concerns for school community — and could also impact enrollment
A proposed $2 billion DC Blox data center in Indianapolis's Irvington community is facing a lawsuit from local residents and Irvington Community Elementary School due to concerns over noise, potential environmental contamination from a former industrial site, and negative impacts on student health and school enrollment. The project received zoning approval just before the city enacted a moratorium on new data center applications, but the lawsuit seeks to halt its development.
A proposed $2 billion data center by DC Blox on the east side of Indianapolis has ignited a legal battle with the close-knit Irvington community, including Irvington Community Elementary School, which sits hundreds of feet from the controversial site. Residents and school leaders are primarily concerned about potential noise from the facility's 31 generators and the risk of construction disturbing contaminants from the property's past as a Ford Motor Company plant. School CEO Rachel Maldonado and Principal Katie Welch have voiced fears about student health impacts, particularly for those with asthma, and the data center's potential to deter student enrollment at a challenging time for the charter school network.
The site, located at 305 Fintail Drive, is a classified brownfield with documented soil and groundwater contaminants. Despite these concerns, the data center project received approval from the Metropolitan Development Commission shortly before the city of Indianapolis enacted a moratorium on new data center applications until 2027. This leaves the DC Blox site as one of only three approved projects able to proceed.
In response to the community's worries, DC Blox has committed to several binding requirements, including contaminant testing, a vapor mitigation system, a two-foot soil barrier, and sharing generator testing schedules with the school. A sound study must also ensure levels do not exceed 65 decibels at the campus edge. However, school leaders remain skeptical, with Maldonado noting that a visit to a DC Blox center in Atlanta did not alleviate her concerns about noise.
Irvington Community Elementary is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed last month seeking to stop the project. Community members have launched fundraising efforts for the legal battle, while the school network itself faces a $2.85 million deficit due to declining enrollment. School leaders fear the data center's presence could exacerbate their financial and enrollment struggles, while highlighting the broader lack of research on data centers' effects on nearby schools.