Ross Township residents press Hobart officials on proposed data center, citing noise, traffic and groundwater concerns

Residents of the Ross Township area urged Hobart officials on Wednesday to pause and add protections before a planned industrial development — a data center proposed near 61st and 69th Avenue — moves forward.

At a prolonged public‑comment period, Patricia Corey of 7203 Colorado Street told the council she opposed placing the facility “in [our] area” and demanded protections if nearby drinking wells are affected, saying she wanted a written promise from the administration. “I say absolutely no data center at 61st And 69th Avenue,” Corey said.

Jennifer McQuaid (6731 Grand Boulevard) framed the dispute as a broader fairness issue, saying residents “feel like you have turned us into a sacrifice zone” as farmland is rezoned for industrial use. McQuaid asked officials to adopt stronger protections — including a lower noise standard and a formal data‑center ordinance — to reduce health and quality‑of‑life impacts.

City staff and councilors responded that the development team has filed multiple studies and that the city has required stormwater and soil measures for construction. A staff speaker summarized planning filings and said the developer submitted the necessary geotechnical and erosion‑control documents. “We are working diligently … we have traffic study after traffic study,” the Chair (speaker 5) told residents, adding staff would continue discussions with the developers about off‑site parking and bus‑in plans to reduce roadway backups.

On groundwater and soil testing, residents pressed for a baseline assessment before dewatering or other earthwork begins. One resident said dewatering elsewhere had concentrated contaminants and linked that process to public‑health harms; councilors and staff disputed some technical points and agreed to follow up. Jennifer McQuaid asked expressly why the city had not required preliminary groundwater sampling; staff replied that routine erosion, stormwater and soil reports were included in permit filings and said they would retrieve call records and technical materials to share with residents.

Council members emphasized the fiscal considerations driving industrial development in the corridor. A council speaker noted the city’s constrained property‑tax cap and argued that new commercial development would expand the tax base and help fund services such as fire and ambulance coverage. Residents countered that revenue benefits must be weighed against long‑term health, noise and traffic impacts, and at least one caller asked the council to require independent baseline testing and a written mitigation plan before construction proceeds.

The exchange covered several technical and policy questions: whether noise limits should be reduced at the property line or at residences; how off‑site parking and employee shuttle plans would be managed to prevent backups on 61st Avenue; whether existing zoning and the city’s comprehensive plan justified the change; and whether the city should draft a data‑center‑specific ordinance with required mitigation measures.

Council and staff committed to additional conversations with residents and the developer. Staff said they would pull submitted soil and groundwater records and promised follow‑up with the fire/EMS department on a separate ambulance response complaint raised during public comment. No formal vote on the data center occurred; the matter remains in the public‑comment and permitting stage.

The council’s next steps included the already‑scheduled public hearings on related annexation and development items and offers by staff to meet with residents, developers and technical experts to clarify mitigation, testing and operational plans.