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After months of controversy over a proposed data center on the southeast side of Indianapolis, Google, the company behind the project, abruptly withdraw its petition on Sept. 22 shortly before the City-County Council was scheduled to vote on it.
The tech giant was about to explain to city-county councilors how the investment in the southeast side would benefit the city and its residents when Joe Calderon, the Indianapolis attorney representing Google throughout the zoning approval process, told the Council Google was withdrawing its proposal.
He did not say why the company chose to withdraw its request to rezone nearly 470 acres for a data center in Franklin Township. Calderon offered no further comment as the City-County Council meeting room, which was filled with opponents of the project, erupted in applause that lasted for nearly a minute.
Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, a Republican who represents the district with the land Google was eyeing for a data center, announced the news to an overflow crowd outside the council chambers as the meeting was ongoing.
People celebrated, hugging Hart and each other and exclaiming loudly enough to be heard inside the public assembly room.
The project isn’t completely dead since petitioners can refile rezoning petitions with the city after waiting a few months. Or, Google could choose another site nearby to make their case for a development. Hart warned his constituents to not move on too fast.
“I’m not going to take a foot off the gas, and I don’t except anybody else to take their foot off the gas,” Hart said. “Be vigilant, stay connected, keep communicating and pay attention.”
Google wanted to build the data center on about 467 acres of bucolic land just off I-74 and bordered by South Post Road, East Troy Avenue, Davis Road and Vandergriff Road. The withdrawal is a massive blow to the Silicon Valley tech company that was prepared to spend at least $1 billion in Marion County and had spent weeks meeting with residents, councilors and development officials to gain enough support to push the project through.
Prior to the hearing, Franklin Township residents believed they had enough councilors on their side, said Meredith Sharp, a leader of the Protect Franklin Township movement leading the opposition. Only 15 votes, a 60% majority, were needed to overturn an approval the Metropolitan Development Commission made last month.
It’s unclear what lay behind the Google decision but the opposition to the data center in the room was palpable. At one point during the meeting, Google’s team of attorneys huddled outside the hearing before coming back in the room. Calderon quietly pulled aside a city official while the rest of his team left.
Brittany York, another leader of Protect Franklin Township, said she realized that the saga had not necessarily come to a close, though she saw Monday night as a win.
“It’s huge. We’re excited,” York said after the meeting concluded. “It’s nice to know that we can finally catch our breaths, but we know that we have to stay vigilant because they can always refile. It’s not game over.”
Google faced a steep hill to approval based on conversations and councilors’ statements in the weeks leading up to the meeting. Councilors cited concerns over electricity and water consumption and limited land left in Marion County as reasons why they opposed the data center. There’s also a tradition in the Council to support the district councilor’s desires for his district, and Hart made his opposition clear months prior.
At least 17 councilors said they planned to oppose the data center, despite a stamp of approval from the city’s appointed redevelopment commission and staff planners, IndyStar previously reported. However, public statements hold no weight until the votes are actually cast.
Just one councilor, Rob Gibson, said he planned to support the proposal. Seven had not given their stance publicly or to IndyStar.
Google met with councilors as late as the day of the Sept. 22 hearing, according to an Indy Economic Development official.
Mayor Joe Hogsett, who had remained out of the data center conversation publicly, released a statement to IndyStar after the meeting, saying he respected Google’s decision to withdraw. He added it “was no wonder” Google was interested in calling Indianapolis home.
“The City remains committed to working alongside business leaders and neighbors to continue attracting new investments that create quality jobs, increase opportunities for construction trade workers, further our economy’s growth, and uplift our neighborhoods,” Hogsett said in a statement.
What happens next?
It’s unclear what this means for Google’s interests in Indianapolis going forward or if it will pivot to build a data center elsewhere in Central Indiana. A developer must wait a few months before filing a new petition on the same land. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Sept. 22.
The company must still submit official documentation withdrawing the petition to the Department of Metropolitan Development. If they don’t for any reason, a hearing before the City-County Council would take place on Oct. 6.
With significant tax breaks and a state welcoming to large tech companies, Indiana is expected to continue to attract tech giants racing to build physical infrastructure for the digital world. Currently, the Citizens Action Coalition, an Indianapolis-based consumer advocacy group, is tracking around 40 data centers under consideration in the state.
The Franklin Township group joins a few communities in Indiana who have successfully blocked a tech giant from building a data center nearby.
“When we’re facing a multi-trillion-dollar company, it’s daunting,” York said. “So having people care and come out and support, it’s huge.”
IndyStar’s Madyson Crane contributed to this report.
Alysa Guffey writes business, health and development stories for IndyStar. Have a story tip? Contact her at amguffey@gannett.com or on X: @AlysaGuffeyNews.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Is Franklin Township data center dead? Google withdraws petition just before Council hearing
Reporting by Alysa Guffey, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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