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Residents press Hobart leaders over proposed data center and annexation plans
Summary
At the March 18 meeting, residents urged Hobart officials to reconsider an annexation and express strong concerns about a proposed data‑center and its impacts on traffic, noise, groundwater and promised parkland. Council introduced the annexation ordinance and set an April 15 public hearing.
Residents at the Hobart City Redevelopment Authority meeting on March 18 urged council members to slow or block an annexation and a proposed data center, saying the projects threaten neighborhood quality of life and local groundwater.
Richard Anderson, who identified himself and described a 6.66‑acre petition for voluntary annexation on the I‑65/37th Avenue corridor, told the council CATCO wants to expand and that the ordinance introduced tonight was only for introduction and would be set for public hearings. Staff said an updated fiscal analysis from Baker Tilly corrected a property‑size discrepancy and showed no material adverse fiscal impact.
In extended public comment, Patricia Corey (7203 Colorado Street) told the council, “I say absolutely no data center at 61st and 69th Avenue,” and pressed officials for a written promise to replace private wells if they run dry. Another resident, Jennifer McQuaid, who said Ross Township residents were “forcibly annexed” and that the area feels “like a sacrifice zone,” asked the city to prioritize parks and protections for farming and water resources over industrial rezoning.
Residents raised multiple technical concerns: noise (with requests to study lowering the city property‑line noise standard), construction traffic and off‑site parking plans, baseline groundwater and soil testing before dewatering, and ambulance access during heavy traffic. Council members and staff said traffic studies and plans to bus workers from off‑site parking are under way, and the city will follow up with health experts and provide additional information to the public. The mayor said staff would check ambulance call records after a resident described a delayed response and would follow up with the fire department.
The council set the annexation public hearing for April 15 and acknowledged it would continue coordinating with developers, utilities and regulatory reviewers. Council members said the city faces tradeoffs between protecting residential and farm land and generating revenue to fund services such as firefighters and ambulances, and they encouraged residents to submit written input and technical questions before the hearing.
The council did not take a final vote on the annexation at this meeting; the item remains scheduled for public hearings and further staff review.
