Can developers, residents agree on possible data center? Hancock County developer hopes so
A divisive conversation is erupting in Hancock County over how and when industrial development should encroach on rural land long reserved for agriculture. The debate raises the question: Can developers and residents work together to create a modern, industrial development that both sides like?
The developers behind a zoning proposal for a 775-acre Planned Unit Development, which could house a data center, hope so. Surge Development LLC held a town hall last week to gain feedback for its large proposed industrial center on the outskirts of Greenfield in the hope of winning over opponents to their plans.
But gaining community support could be an uphill battle. More than 400 people packed an auditorium at Greenfield-Central High School on May 8 to ask questions. Many thanked organizers for holding the two-and-a-half-hour forum — and providing a 27-page pamphlet answering frequently asked questions about the project — but expressed continued skepticism. Only a few spoke in support of the development.
Few developers of such projects take the extra time to engage with the community, said Surge Development LLC principal Chris King. Some never reveal themselves throughout the process.
"Our goal with this is to meet with people and to talk to people and try to understand how we can make this a better plan," King said.
Surge Development LLC, a Shelbyville-based company, has submitted a rezoning petition to build a MegaSite Planned Unit Development around the intersection of N 400 W. and W 500 N. on hundreds of acres of farmland. The 775-acre site would back directly up against the pick-your-own fields at Tuttle Orchards. The developers have noted the site, which is between the orchard and the Indianapolis Regional Airport, would help the transition the county from rural to developed land.
Many opponents came to support Tuttle Orchards, a nearly century-old family business that's one of the few tourism draws to Hancock County.
"We don't have a lot of tourism at all here, and we cannot afford to lose Tuttle's," said George Langston, a nearby resident.
The Roney family, descendants of the orchard's founder Roy Tuttle, began circulating a petition earlier this month against the development, saying it would ruin the tranquil aesthetic of their business. Mike Roney gave a statement at the meeting on behalf of the family saying that the family intended to remain open but were not sure if they could under the current proposal.
"We would ask our community leaders to seriously consider if this project brings such an overwhelming benefit to the community that it can constitute sacrificing a longstanding business in the community that cannot be replaced, "Mike Roney said to a round of thunderous applause from the room.
At the heart of the debate lies a struggle for rural Hancock County where residents have slowly watched urban sprawl and industrial campuses creep farther east into their quiet communities. Over the past several years, the county has become a hub for warehouses and logistical complexes ran by big box companies such as Amazon. Residents worry the Surge project could lead to more.
The Planned Unit Development, or PUD, process at this point will not result in approval for a specific development. Rather, it will allow the developers to prepare the land for industrial or manufacturing use. Any specific projects would still need to be approved by local officials.
Several property owners in the area Surge has targeted have already agreed to sell their land to make way for the development, including Tom Redmond's nearly 90-year-old mother. Redmond's mother was approached to sell her land about nine years ago, when a developer wanted to construct a solar field. She quickly turned down that offer, but now, she feels different.
"She didn't think that was the right thing for Hancock County," Redmond said, speaking on behalf of his mother. "And then along came this, and the reason it appealed to her is because it was a cohesive plan.... and so, she signed up."
Several renderings of the site depict a large data center, though King said no other companies have officially signed on.
In Franklin Township: A massive data center is planned for Franklin Township, but many residents are concerned
Data centers, which store the advanced technology to support nearly everything in the digital world, have been popping up around the state thanks to a 2019 law that essentially gives tax breaks to such developments for 50 years. There are currently 27 proposed centers in Indiana, according to the Citizens Actions Coalition.
Surge Development describes data centers as "today's equivalent to yesterday's railroads or highways," in the pamphlet given to community members.
Data centers drain communities of critical resources such as water and electricity. The site development plan calls for Citizens Energy Group to supply water to the PUD, and project leaders stressed that any water used at the site would not come from wells. A Citizens spokesperson said the company does not currently serve the site but would pull from its network of water basins around the state. They did not specific where such basins are located.
Do data centers harm the environment? Indiana's data center boom could be disastrous for health and environment, advocates say
The debate over whether to develop the land reflects a discussion about the growing divide between the east and west halves of Hancock County. Contiguous to Marion County, the western half of the county has already seen urban sprawl.
The site in question sits in the western half of the county and the more than 700 acres in question were designated for future manufacturing use in the county's 2023 comprehensive land use plan.
"Everything east of State Road 9 is forecasted to remain agricultural for the next 20 years, but you get west of Greenfield, and it starts looking a little different." said Executive Director of the Hancock County Economic Development corporation Randy Sorrell said. "It is not a surprise that manufacturers and assemblies are starting to show up."
The Hancock County Plan Commission will have a public hearing on the proposal on May 27.
Past coverage: Tuttle Orchards not happy about prospect of getting new data center as next door neighbor
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