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Residents urge council to block proposed data center, cite traffic, noise and groundwater risks
Summary
At the March 18 meeting residents pressed the council to halt or more tightly regulate a proposed data center near 61st/69th Avenue, raising traffic, noise, groundwater and emergency-response concerns; councilors said traffic studies and further staff follow-up are underway, and residents asked for baseline environmental testing.
At the March 18 Hobart City Redevelopment Authority meeting, multiple residents urged the council to oppose or tighten rules around a proposed data-center development in the Ross Township annexation area, saying it would bring traffic, noise and possible groundwater risks to nearby homes.
The most prominent public commenter, Patricia Corey, said residents want the park the city once promised and called the planned development a "dumping zone," arguing the project "does not belong down there." She also told the council she wants a written commitment that "if something happened to our wells, he would replace them," and described a recent ambulance response she said was delayed because crews could not find her address.
Why it matters: the parcel under discussion is in a portion of Ross Township recently moved into the city's growth plan; residents said the rezoning to industrial use and the prospect of large buildings with diesel generators will change the neighborhood's character and could have tangible health and service impacts. Jennifer McQuaid told the council Ross Township residents feel "like a sacrifice zone," and raised noise and air-quality concerns tied to construction and long-term operations.
Council and staff responses were procedural and pointed to follow-up. The mayor said staff are "working diligently on this traffic" and described ongoing traffic studies, off-site parking and busing plans intended to "minimize the traffic impact." On the ambulance complaint the mayor said he would "follow up with our fire department and find" call records to determine response timing and staffing.
Residents asked the council to adopt stronger protective rules before construction starts. Multiple speakers suggested the city should: (1) require baseline groundwater and soil testing before any dewatering or heavy construction, (2) evaluate noise impacts and consider lowering the city's measured-property-line noise standard, and (3) require a comprehensive data-center ordinance like those other cities have adopted. On testing, one resident asked the council to "get our groundwater tested and the soil tested so that we know we have a baseline" before any work begins.
Councilors acknowledged the concerns but cautioned against rushing broad ordinance changes without analysis. The mayor and staff repeatedly said that not all data centers are the same and that mitigation measures (downward-facing lighting, noise engineering, traffic controls, on-site/off-site parking strategies) can be required in project approvals.
No final vote on the data-center project was taken. Councilors asked staff to continue conversations with residents and with the developer, and citizens requested follow-up meetings with the city and the companies involved. The annexation petition and associated ordinance were introduced and will be set for a future public hearing; residents and the council flagged multiple follow-ups, including traffic study results and requests for environmental baseline testing.
