Hobart residents’ lawsuit seeks to stall data center project

Hobart residents, including Barbara Koteles, Joe Conn, Angelita Soriano, and Albina Venegas-Roman, have filed a lawsuit in Lake Superior Court against the Hobart Plan Commission and Common Council. The legal action seeks injunctive relief to nullify a fill permit granted for mass grading at a 723-acre site slated for an Amazon data center and to effectively reset the city's site plan approval process, citing procedural matters.

The plaintiffs contend that the Plan Commission acted without authority and failed to provide required information and findings of fact when converting the site plan application to a fill permit and approving it. Despite the ongoing legal challenge, which experienced a recent delay due to an attorney's unavailability, the City of Hobart has permitted grading and fill work to continue. The Plan Commission granted preliminary plat approval in May but tabled final plat approval for the two parcels in September. The larger 555-acre parcel, known as Hobart Tech Park, is owned by Amazon, while the 168-acre Ewen Farm property will be leased by Amazon.

Residents, particularly those living across from the site in the Eagle Creek subdivision, express concerns about potential negative impacts on property values and air quality due to ongoing site work and the planned installation of 782 emergency backup diesel generators with a combined capacity of 2,119 megawatts. The city, led by Mayor Josh Huddleston, has already received $47 million from Amazon as part of a negotiated community benefits agreement, which includes a 35-year tax abatement on personal property and a 10-year abatement on real property. The city expects substantial payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars by the project's completion in 2030 and annually thereafter.