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Residents press council over proposed data center, raise noise, traffic and groundwater concerns
Summary
Residents at the March 18 Hobart meeting urged officials to halt or regulate a proposed data center and annexation, citing noise, traffic, groundwater and public‑health worries; council said mitigation studies and ordinances are being considered and accepted public input for further study.
Residents used the public‑comment period at the Hobart City Redevelopment Authority/Common Council meeting on March 18 to press elected officials about a proposed data center slated near 61st and 69th Avenue and related annexation and zoning changes.
Patricia Corey (Speaker 8) led off by saying residents expected better communication and protection, urging the council to provide written assurances about private wells if they run dry and to honor promised parkland for annexed areas. "I say absolutely no data center at 61st And 69th Avenue," Corey said, arguing the area was being treated as a "dumping zone" for development the neighborhood did not want.
Other residents questioned noise and air impacts from what they described as multiple diesel generators and heavy truck traffic. “Ross Township feels like we are being treated as a sacrifice zone,” said Speaker 4, who told the council many longtime residents oppose rezoning farmland to heavy industrial uses and asked the city to require stronger protections. Several speakers urged the council to require baseline groundwater and soil testing before construction or dewatering takes place so the city can detect any changes tied to development.
Council members and staff responded that traffic and noise studies are already under way and that project teams are discussing off‑site parking, bussing for workers and construction staging to limit roadway backups. Staff noted that developers submitted soil reports as part of permitting and that the city’s stormwater and erosion controls (silt socks, etc.) are in place during construction. Speaker 1 emphasized the city will continue to adjust traffic management plans and required mitigation during construction.
Asked about noise limits, residents asked the council to lower the citywide property‑line noise standard from 65 decibels to 55 for new developments; council members said the question deserves study because a lower limit would carry complex zoning and enforcement consequences. On groundwater, council members said they will review the public’s request for additional baseline testing and consult with engineering staff and the developer’s submitted reports.
The council did not take an immediate regulatory vote on the data center at the meeting; several members said outreach and technical follow‑up would continue before any final land‑use decisions.
The next procedural step on the nearby annexation was a motion to set a public hearing; the council also accepted related compliance and fiscal reports for projects in other parts of the city during the same meeting.
