Microsoft holds data center open house; Residents voice concerns over water use, utilities

An open house was held Tuesday by Microsoft to allow St. Joseph County residents to hear directly from the company about the incoming data center. Construction of the data center will soon be breaking ground near St. Joe Farms south of Granger. Protesters arrived with signs opposing the data center. Though the project was approved last year, they say they still have concerns. “I'm very much against everything that involves them being made and involves their existence,” said James Dewitt, Mishawaka resident. Microsoft held an open house to provide information, but many residents are still voicing opposition. They have concerns tied to other large-scale developments in the area. “I don't think there's going to be a financial benefit. I mean, AI takes jobs, and a good example is New Carlisle on Amazon,” said Todd Robertson, Mishawaka Resident. The development will sit on around 900 acres of property between Bittersweet Road and Currant Road with the Indiana Toll Road being the northern border of the project. And it’s already been zoned for data center development. Microsoft said they’re stilling in the early development phase and were not able to disclose specifics on water or power usage yet, two main issues residents say they want answers to. WSBT took your questions and asked Microsoft directly: How much water is planned to be used if you have a rough estimate? “We are still early in the design phase, what I can say is that this facility will use the most up-to-date technology available, using closed loop system,” said Jonathan Noble, Microsoft Senior Director of Infrastructure and Government Affairs. “We are working with our utility provider to make sure that we are covering our fair share, and other rate payers will not be impacted by the fact that we're working with the community.” Several people said that despite the information presented, they still feel the “hard questions” surrounding the project haven’t been fully answered. WSBT asked a resident what are some of the hard questions you want answers to? “It's the same questions that people all across the country are trying to ask, which are how much water is this going to cost, how much our utility is going to go up? And we're having to guess all this stuff,” said Alex Wait, Granger resident. Microsoft says they plan to break ground with site preparation in early June with construction expected to begin late fall. https://wsbt.com/news/local/data-center-microsoft-holds-open-house-as-protests-continue-granger-project-approved-residents-major-concerns-opposition-century-center-meeting-details-jobs-energy-use-water _________________ Stay up to date by following our social media: WSBT 22 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WSBTNews WSBT 22 on X: https://twitter.com/WSBT WSBT 22 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wsbt/ For more information, visit https://wsbt.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to our newsroom: wsbtnews@wsbt.com WSBT is an IN based station and a CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. Sinclair owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 163 television stations in 77 markets, after pending transactions. Sinclair's television group reaches approximately 38.7% of US television households and includes FOX, ABC, MyTV, CW, CBS, NBC, Univision and Azteca affiliates.