Residents urge protections as Hobart considers annexation tied to data‑center project

Residents pressed Hobart officials on March 18 over plans for an industrial annexation and a proposed data center in the I‑65/37th Avenue corridor, saying they fear traffic, noise, groundwater contamination and delayed ambulance response if development proceeds.

Richard Anderson, a presenter for the petitioned annexation, told the council the site is roughly 6.66 acres and proposed for M‑1 industrial use as part of a CATCO‑linked project; he asked the council to introduce the ordinance and set a public hearing for April 15. "CATCO wants to have an addition built for them," Anderson said, describing outside storage and a revised development timetable that staff and the developer negotiated after construction delays.

Multiple residents used the public‑comment period to oppose the annexation and to request stronger safeguards. One resident (Speaker 3) said the rezoning and the scale of the project have made Ross Township feel like "a sacrifice zone," and asked for baseline groundwater and soil testing before construction or any dewatering occurs. "We should know what's on that ground and in that now before we let them do anything to it," the resident said, urging testing to prevent problems similar to those raised in other regional projects.

Speakers also raised public‑safety concerns. A resident recounted an ambulance delay and asked the mayor to pull call records; Mayor/Chair (Speaker 1) agreed to follow up with the fire department and to check response records. Residents pressed the council about traffic congestion on 61st Avenue during construction, off‑site parking for workers, and whether the developer would replace private wells if they were affected.

On noise and health concerns, commenters cited generator testing and diesel backup generators at other large facilities and asked the council to consider a lower noise standard for new development. "When I dove into the noise impacts, I realized that it's bigger than the data center and that there are real health consequences," one resident said, urging the city to require data‑center‑specific protections where appropriate.

City staff and council members responded that the municipality is conducting and reviewing traffic studies and that off‑site parking and check‑in procedures are part of mitigation plans. "We have traffic study after traffic study ... addressing how people approach, busing people from off‑site," the mayor said, adding that construction will create temporary impacts but that steps are being taken to reduce congestion. Staff also said soil and site tests had been filed with the city as part of the permitting process and that the city would check those records in response to residents' requests.

Several council members encouraged continued dialogue and agreed to follow up: staff will review and share relevant soils and groundwater reports, pull ambulance call records for the incidents cited, and meet with residents and representatives from neighboring jurisdictions to discuss traffic and noise mitigation options. Richard Anderson confirmed the annexation petition is only being introduced and would be set for public hearings if the council so directs.

The council did not adopt any new environmental regulations during the meeting; residents asked the council to consider specific ordinance changes — including lower decibel thresholds for new construction and data‑center‑specific requirements — and received a commitment from officials that the city would explore technical options and meet with concerned residents before final actions are taken.

The council set the annexation petition for public hearing on April 15 and recorded several follow‑up items; residents said they will continue to press for baseline testing and stronger project safeguards ahead of any final approvals.