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Residents and property owners urge Hobart board to pause mass‑grading permit for proposed data center, citing water, health and traffic risks
Summary
Residents, farmers and an attorney representing nearby property owners told the Hobart Board of Public Works and Safety on Feb. 18 that a large fill/grading permit tied to a proposed data center threatens private wells, raises traffic and safety concerns, and appears premature without final engineering; the board deferred appeal determinations to the next works meeting.
HOBART — Residents, farm owners and a lawyer for nearby property owners urged the Hobart Board of Public Works and Safety on Feb. 18 to pause or revisit a mass‑grading (fill) permit tied to a planned data‑center development, raising concerns about groundwater, construction traffic, pollinators and regulatory procedure.
Deanna Shrek, a Hobart resident who said she recently built a home nearby, told the board she keeps European honeybees and is worried that ‘‘dewatering, EMF, infrasound and vibrations’’ and increased truck traffic could harm pollinators and the community. She added: “No amount of money is worth my quality of life.”
Elizabeth Gagliardi, owner of Excelsior Equestrian Center, said her farm and its 20 horses rely on private wells and that the permit paperwork indicates some dewatering plans and stormwater details will be provided only after approval. “Why would you put the cart before the horse?” she asked, urging baseline testing and clear dewatering plans before land‑altering work begins.
A lawyer speaking for property owners described the permit as authorizing mass grading across hundreds of acres (the speaker cited roughly 605 acres) while key engineering elements — finished elevations, access points, traffic routes and a final stormwater design — remain unresolved. He recommended several safeguards before grading proceeds, including an independent stormwater and groundwater study, no‑net‑increase drainage standards, written elevation and drainage guarantees, a stormwater performance bond or escrow, preconstruction baseline well/property surveys with ongoing monitoring, and enforceable long‑term maintenance requirements.
Other commenters cited public‑health concerns tied to groundwater contamination and autoimmune disease vulnerability, and asked the city to require independent baseline hydrogeological testing (nitrate and industrial/agricultural contaminant screening), public release of findings, and monitoring funded by the applicant.
Board staff explained the appeal process for plan‑commission decisions and advised members that they could seek legal advice in executive session before issuing a written determination. The board did not issue a final determination on the appealed fill permit at the Feb. 18 meeting and scheduled the appeal decisions to be made at the next works meeting; petitioners will receive written determinations following that meeting.
The hearing record includes repeated references to whether the fill permit was processed under Chapter 150 or Chapter 154 of the Hobart Municipal Code and whether site‑plan review should precede any fill authorization — procedural questions raised by multiple speakers in written submissions and in person.
What happens next: The board said it will compile documentation and make determinations on the appeals at its next works meeting (the agenda date listed as the 18th); petitioners and appellants will receive written notice of those determinations.
