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Cedar Lake planning commission approves SpaceX site plan amid calls for noise and tech safeguards
Summary
The Cedar Lake Plan Commission approved a SpaceX satellite earth station site plan for 13760 Osborne Street after hearing that antennas and an 8-foot fence will screen equipment; residents urged a post-construction noise study and clarity about which fiber provider will be used.
The Cedar Lake Plan Commission on June 17 approved a site plan from Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to install ground-mounted satellite earth station antennas at 13760 Osborne Street, voting 5-2 after more than an hour of technical questions and public comment.
SpaceX representative Hannah Boris told commissioners the installation meets applicable site-plan criteria, includes an 8-foot-2-inch metal fence and a Knox Box for emergency access, and will connect to an off-site data center via third-party fiber providers. "We respectfully request your approval of the site plan application this evening as reflected in the amended site plans," Boris said during her presentation.
Commissioners pressed for specifics on antenna heights, fence finish grade and noise. Boris said the company ran conservative sound-propagation calculations that assumed all antennas operating at maximum fan speed and estimated operational noise at the nearest property line to be roughly comparable to a normal conversation under those assumptions; she offered to accept a condition requiring a post-construction noise study.
Several residents urged stronger conditions. Barb Orsby, a nearby resident, recommended the commission require a post-construction sound study and asked SpaceX to identify the third-party fiber provider the facility will use so neighbors and town staff can monitor potential impacts. "I would strongly recommend that you take them up on doing a sound study after they do the installation," Orsby said.
Commissioners also discussed whether the site plan would interfere with existing wireless infrastructure; SpaceX said the proposed facility would use existing fiber and is not proposing new data centers. The commission added standard conditions for screening and emergency access and approved the site plan in a roll call vote that recorded five affirmative votes and two negatives.
The town requested staff follow up on the promised as-built sound measurements and provide the commission with vendor/fiber-provider information. The approval was for site-plan design and conditions; the commission noted its decision does not amend the underlying planned-unit development zoning.
