Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press council over data-center construction: truck routes, dust, zoning and promised mitigations
Summary
Several residents told the council that truck traffic and airborne dust from a data-center construction site have not followed promised routes or dust suppression, and questioned whether the project's approval and tax abatement were properly vetted; the mayor said meetings with developers and follow-ups are underway.
Multiple residents urged the Michigan City Common Council on June 2 to force better enforcement and written commitments from developers building a data center at 402 Royal Road.
Deborah Shore told the council she sent photos to Council Member Moldenhauer and to developers showing repeated heavy truck traffic on Royal Road, airborne dust reaching Tryon Road, and violations of the agreed traffic pattern. "Whatever agreement the city may have had is not being honored by the developer," she said, and asked the council to consider penalties or a community-benefits agreement as incentives to enforce the plan.
Anna Lisinski told council members that the data center was not an approved use in the site's M-1 zoning and that a verification letter dated April 30, 2025, by a city enforcement officer had approved the use by deeming it similar to indoor storage and warehousing. She said her FOIA request showed no research supporting that comparison and said the approval "was done in secret completely hidden from the public." She asked the council to identify comparable projects used as the basis for the determination.
Resident Dominic Yankee said he had been told the project would not use diesel but later learned the site will include about 70 diesel backup generators, which he said raises concerns about noise, emissions and local impact.
Mayor Angie Nelson Deitch said the city has met with Phoenix Construction, Google representatives and department heads and that videos and route reviews were shared during a recent virtual meeting. "We have to get it memorialized in writing," she said, adding that the sanitary district has cited the contractor multiple times and that the city will follow up and seek written commitments on dust suppression, routes and road-repair agreements.
Council members asked staff to continue follow-up and suggested written mitigation and enforcement measures; several residents urged stronger, enforceable holdbacks or penalties tied to tax abatements. The meeting record shows no immediate change to abatements or permits; council members said they want written documentation of developer commitments and additional staff follow-up.
Public commenters also suggested community-benefits ideas such as low-flow toilets or energy-efficient appliances for nearby households, and urged the council to convene residents to identify priorities for mitigation.
