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Residents, town officials urge council to oppose rezoning for proposed data center north of New Carlisle
Summary
Dozens of residents and New Carlisle officials urged the county council to reject a proposed rezoning that would convert about 1,057 acres from agricultural to industrial for a hyperscale data center. Speakers cited conflicts with local and county comprehensive plans, aquifer and water concerns, traffic increases and the need for written, enforce
During the meeting's privilege-of-the-floor period, officials from New Carlisle and many residents urged the council to oppose proposed rezoning of roughly 1,057 acres north of New Carlisle for a hyperscale data-center campus.
Marcy Kaufman, president of the New Carlisle Town Council, said the town and county comprehensive plans designate the land for agricultural or green uses and that rezoning would "erase" years of community planning and cost public trust. Carol Bonsignore cited steep increases in traffic enforcement and reported monthly traffic-stop data she compiled, saying conditions near the IEC entrance have degraded since construction activity began.
Speakers raised repeated concerns about water use, aquifer impacts and utility costs. Marcia Kern and other residents pressed for independent environmental review and for written commitments from petitioners on water usage, closed-loop cooling and chemical handling before any rezoning vote. Several commenters said they had expected the area-plan commission and the county to honor local comprehensive-plan guidance and that the council should defer rezoning.
Other residents raised broader economic concerns: Joseph Cooper and others said that utility bills and aquifer drawdown could harm farmers and households; John Hamilton placed the debate in a larger context about reliance on a small number of large corporations. Several speakers asked the council to delay or reject rezoning until written, enforceable commitments are provided and studied.
Council procedure notes: The record reflects repeated requests from the public for transparency; council members and staff addressed timing constraints and noted that area-plan commission and land-use-committee recommendations affect next steps. The petition's rezoning decision is scheduled for December and speakers asked the council to consider local plans and environmental reviews ahead of that vote.
