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Residents press council over proposed data center, citing noise, groundwater and emergency‑response concerns
Summary
Residents at the Hobart City Redevelopment Authority meeting urged the council to halt or more tightly condition a proposed data center, raising worries about noise, diesel generator emissions, traffic and potential groundwater impacts. Council said studies and mitigation plans are underway and invited further technical follow‑up.
Corey (speaker identified at public comment) urged the council to reject locating a large data center near 61st and 69th Avenue, saying the development would harm residents’ quality of life and asking for a written commitment to replace private wells if they failed. "If it would happen to go through, can I get a statement from you on that for records?" the resident asked (Speaker 7).
Mayor (Speaker 2) and staff responded that the city and developer have conducted soil borings and stormwater controls and that traffic, noise and other mitigation measures are being developed. "We have traffic study after traffic study," the mayor said, adding staff is examining off‑site parking, shuttle plans and construction staging to limit roadway backups.
At least two speakers described perceived public‑safety lapses. One resident said an ambulance failed to find her home on Feb. 8 and asked the council to review emergency‑response routing; the mayor said staff would pull call records and follow up with the fire department. Another speaker cited a physician who warned exhaust from diesel backup generators could aggravate respiratory illness; the mayor said staff would try to contact the physician and provide technical details.
Jennifer McQuaid (Speaker 9) said Ross Township residents feel treated as a "sacrifice zone" after past annexations and objected to rezoning farmland for industrial uses. "It feels like you have turned us into a sacrifice zone," she said, citing concerns about noise, air pollution and loss of farmland.
Council members framed the development decision in budgetary terms, saying industrial users provide revenue needed to fund police, fire and other services under a capped property‑tax regime. Speaker 3 noted the city has limited taxing options and that new development can help add firefighters and ambulances the community needs.
Residents asked the council to do two specific, near‑term actions: require baseline groundwater and soil testing for contaminants before construction or dewatering occurs, and prepare a data‑center ordinance that sets noise, light and water‑management standards. "We should know what's on that ground and in that now before we let them do anything to it," one resident said (Speaker 9).
City staff and council agreed to pursue further technical conversations and to supply more information to residents. The meeting record shows staff said existing filings include soil testing and stormwater protections but residents said those filings do not answer their concerns about dewatering or long‑term groundwater effects. The exchange ended without a formal council action to change permits or impose new conditions.
The council moved to executive session following public comment; no immediate policy change was adopted on the record. The council said it would continue outreach with residents and the developer and follow up on requests for groundwater information, traffic‑management details, and the alleged ambulance routing problem.
