Residents urge pause on large fill permit tied to proposed Amazon data center, request independent groundwater and stormwater studies

At a Hobart City Redevelopment Authority meeting, residents and appellants urged the board to delay final action on a large fill permit tied to a proposed Amazon data center and to require independent groundwater and stormwater studies before mass grading or dewatering begins.

Barbara Telles, a resident who spoke during public comment, said she believes the scale of the project — she referenced roughly 25 buildings and large acreage near Colorado Street — poses risks to property values, traffic safety and neighborhood livability. “I don’t know how you ever accepted that,” she said, arguing that data centers of this size should not be built near residences.

Elizabeth Scagliardi, owner of Excelsior Equestrian Center, said her farm is about 1.5 miles from the proposed development and described water‑supply and erosion concerns. Scagliardi said the permit’s documentation indicates planned discharge to a nearby ditch and wetlands and questioned why watering/dewatering plans would be finalized after a fill permit is granted. She said connecting a farm with 20 horses to municipal water is not a feasible mitigation for potential well impacts.

A speaker representing nearby property owners argued that the Plan Commission’s findings — that post‑fill drainage, elevations and traffic would not negatively affect adjacent property owners — rest on incomplete engineering work. The representative asked the board to require a completed final site plan, full stormwater design and traffic access information before allowing large‑scale grading. He proposed an independent stormwater and groundwater study, a no‑net‑increase runoff standard, elevation and drainage guarantees, a stormwater performance bond or escrow, baseline property and well surveys with monitoring, and enforceable long‑term maintenance and inspection requirements.

Appellants’ counsel and other speakers urged the city to perform independent baseline groundwater testing and hydrogeological assessments and to make those results public. One commenter cited a recent example in a nearby jurisdiction where a data‑center dewatering permit had been associated with large daily pumping volumes (citizen referenced 35,000,000 gallons per day in New Carlisle for a different Amazon site) and asked the board to consider cumulative and regional impacts on aquifers and private wells.

City staff told the board that plan commission findings and permit materials will be provided in writing to petitioners and recommended considering legal questions in executive session before a final determination. Chair announced that the appeals will be formally considered at the next Board of Works meeting on the 18th and that petitioners will receive written findings.

The public record in this meeting shows repeated requests by residents and appellants for (1) independent, baseline groundwater testing; (2) a hydrogeological assessment of how dewatering could alter groundwater flow and mobilize contaminants; (3) a full stormwater and erosion control plan tied to a final site plan; and (4) enforceable financial guarantees (bond or escrow) and monitoring funded by the applicant to protect private well users.