Residents pressed Hobart council to block data center annexation, citing noise, traffic and groundwater risks

Mayor (S1) called the Hobart meeting to order on March 18 and opened a public‑comment period in which multiple residents pressed the council to halt or more tightly regulate a proposed data‑center project in the Ross Township/61st Avenue corridor.

Resident Patricia Corey (S9) told the council she and neighbors oppose placing the facility near homes and asked for the city to honor previous promises of park space. "I say absolutely no data center at 61st And 69th Avenue," Corey said, adding that residents feel the area has become a "dumping zone." She also described an ambulance response problem at her address and asked the mayor to follow up with the fire department to pull call records.

Other residents raised technical and environmental concerns. One speaker questioned whether dewatering and construction could mobilize long‑buried agricultural chemicals and urged the city to require baseline soil and groundwater testing before site work continues. The council and staff responded that some testing had been submitted with the permit packages and that the city would follow up on specific records; staff also noted silt control and stormwater measures are part of the permit filings.

Noise and traffic were recurring themes. A resident asked the council to lower the city's noise ordinance for new construction to 55 decibels and requested a data‑center‑specific ordinance with noise, lighting and other mitigations similar to measures other cities have adopted. Council members acknowledged the health concerns but cautioned that a citywide ordinance change would have broad effects and may need exemptions for facilities such as hospitals; staff said they have traffic studies and are discussing off‑site parking and busing strategies with the developer to reduce roadway congestion.

Council members and staff repeatedly invited residents to provide written reports and said staff would meet with concerned parties, other municipalities and the developer to clarify traffic, environmental and site‑control plans. The mayor said the city will continue to evaluate mitigation options and meet with residents.

What happens next: council set a public hearing for the property annexation introduced at the meeting; residents asked for additional briefings and for the city to require baseline environmental testing and a comprehensive data‑center ordinance before approvals proceed.