Residents appeal fill permit tied to proposed data center, urge independent groundwater and stormwater studies

Residents and property owners told the Hobart City Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday that the Plan Commission’s approval of a large fill permit tied to a proposed data-center campus should not proceed until independent technical studies and enforceable protections are in place.

"There is no place in The United States where there is a 725 acre data center across the street from residences," said Barbara Telles, an appellant, arguing the project’s scale and proximity to homes could depress property values and create persistent construction traffic on two-lane roads.

Why it matters: Petitioners said the permit authorizes mass grading over hundreds of acres while final site plans, finalized access points and key engineering details remain unresolved. Speakers warned that dewatering and large earth-moving operations can alter groundwater flow, mobilize legacy contaminants and increase sediment and runoff into local wetlands that feed the Deep River watershed.

Elizabeth Scagliardi, owner of Excelsior Equestrian Center, told the board her farm is within the same aquifer and said tying into municipal water would be impractical for her boarding and horse-care operations. "How the data center is gonna affect the aquifer that we rely on" was a central question, she said, noting the plan permit requires some stormwater information only at final site-plan review.

Several petitioners, including a representative for multiple affected owners, asked the board to require independent technical work before the city allows irreversible earth disturbance. Eric Morris asked the board to commission an independent stormwater and groundwater study, adopt a "no net increase" runoff standard, demand written elevation and drainage guarantees, and require a stormwater performance bond or escrow sufficient to fund corrective work if failures occur.

Jennifer McWhite urged the city to conduct baseline aquifer testing for nitrates, nitrites and other agricultural or industrial contaminants, to fund ongoing applicant-paid groundwater monitoring and to publicly release results. "Without clear baseline data, neither the city nor residents will have any objective way to determine whether groundwater quality changes following permit approval," she said.

Appellants raised additional, specific concerns: inadequate public notices and inconsistent references to municipal code sections governing site-plan review and fill permits; missing details in the application about haul routes, hours of operation, equipment size and dust control; proximity of large compaction equipment to pipeline infrastructure; and potential impacts on pollinators and residents with chronic health conditions.

What the board did: The chair and planning staff told petitioners the appeals would be considered at the Board of Works meeting scheduled for March 18 and that the board would issue written determinations to appellants. Planning staff advised that if board members need legal or technical briefings, an executive session could be scheduled prior to that meeting.

No final policy or permit change was made at Tuesday’s meeting. Petitioners said they would supplement the record with formal letters and legal materials; they urged the city to require independent baseline testing and enforceable mitigation measures before approving mass grading that would be difficult to reverse.

Next steps: The Board of Works will take up the appeals on March 18; petitioners and staff expect written determinations to follow and, if requested, an executive session to answer legal questions prior to final public decisions.