A week ahead of a key vote, the company that seeks to build a data center near Irvington has removed an entire building from its site plan in response to community backlash.

The scaled-back proposal from Atlanta-based DC BLOX consolidates three facilities into two and will feature 25 fewer backup diesel generators, a roughly 35% reduction in electricity demand, and a larger buffer zone south of the Pennsy Trail and an adjacent elementary school.

The company still expects the project to create up to 600 construction jobs and bring about $2 billion in investment — a mix of construction costs and clients’ spending on computing equipment to store data. But the new proposal will create 17 permanent jobs, about half as many as originally planned.

“These layout changes represent a proactive step by DC BLOX that addresses community feedback regarding neighborhood density, utility capacity, and visual impact,” spokeswoman Nichole Thomas said in a July 8 press release, “while maintaining the massive economic and tax-base advantages of the $2 billion tech infrastructure investment.”

The change comes a week before the company’s use variance request is set for a vote in a July 15 Metropolitan Development Commission hearing. The original plans called for three buildings spanning 410,000 square feet, requiring 56 diesel generators and close to 80 megawatts of power demand.

If the plans at 305 Fintail Drive are approved, the company says the first building, a one-story facility between about 70,000-80,000 square feet, will likely be finished within two years. The second building, a two-story roughly 250,000-square-foot center, could begin construction in 2029 and be finished by 2031. Together, they would use an estimated 31 generators and about 50 megawatts.

Community backlash prompts environmental pledges

Many east-side residents have organized against the planned data center for months, packing a June 11 meeting where the company received preliminary approval. Among their chief complaints are that the data center could bring noise, air pollution and a spike in local electricity demand within a mile of thousands of residences while creating relatively few jobs.

DC BLOX has touted the tax benefits and union construction jobs a data center campus would bring to a blighted industrial site, where more popular uses like housing or a park are prohibited by state law. They say the finished campus, at the site of a former Ford manufacturing plant, would be “among the largest property-tax contributors” in Warren Township and Marion County.

More: This contaminated site is ground zero in data center fight. Would it help Irvington?

The company recently pledged 20 commitments, including to pay 100% of its utility costs, protect air quality by capturing 95% of particulate emissions on diesel generators, and to minimize water usage with a closed-loop or waterless system to cool its whirring computers. DC BLOX would also contribute $100,000 over five years to Pennsy Trail improvements and a “multi-million dollar investment … to meet priority needs of the community.”

While many residents demand a moratorium on new data centers, the city recently advanced regulations on the unprecedented developments.

A proposal moving through the Indianapolis City-County Council aims to keep the facilities at least 400 feet away from protected districts like neighborhoods, limit sound levels to 65 decibels and require detailed site plans that address common concerns like water and energy usage. Councilors plan to hear public comment on the regulations at the July 13 Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee meeting, where the proposal could be advanced to the full council for a vote in August.

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Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.

INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Retention ponds are a common feature in neighborhoods across Indiana, but they can pose a deadly danger to children. Two Indianapolis children have drowned in retention ponds in just the past month. Many communities are asking whether enough is being done to prevent these tragedies.

The Lawrence Fire Department was on the scene when a 19-month-old toddler was found in the retention pond at the 7000 block of McIntosh Lane on Indy’s northeast side. Adrian Douglas Breed Jr. later died in the hospital.

“It’s a tragic event, the family lost their son,” Marc Hickson of the Lawrence Fire Department said.

Democratic Senator J.D. Ford tried pushing for legislation to mandate safety barriers around neighborhood retention ponds in 2025. It required homeowners’ associations with children ages 1-4 to put up at least a 4-foot-tall fence or barrier, but it didn’t get a hearing.

“Unfortunately, this is the second child in a retention pond in central Indiana in just one month. At some point, we have to ask what we can do to stop families from experiencing the same, and that’s why we tried to pass this bill to help avoid families from experiencing the headlines.”

In 2009, former Republican State Senator Richard Bray also introduced a bill aimed at allowing the construction of safety barriers around retention ponds. That failed to become law.

Since those attempts, there have been no statewide laws for barriers around retention ponds in Indiana.

“It’s about asking adults, neighborhoods, and policymakers to make these environments safer. There is a petition out there, and I think second to that is to reach out to your state representatives and state senators and voice concerns about this type of issue,” Ford said.

Until a new law passes, the Lawrence Fire Department is urging parents to learn CPR and to teach their kids to swim. Hickson believes a safety barrier can prevent additional deaths.

“Just not apartment complexes, but anywhere, where there’s a body of water. It would be great if it were enclosed so access wouldn’t be as easy to get into.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Advocacy groups supporting homeless populations are warning about the potential effects of a new law banning camping in public areas.

Senate Enrolled Act 285 now makes it a misdemeanor to camp, sleep on or use public land as long-term shelter.

JJ and Jennifer Goodall have been homeless on and off for the last eight years.

“It makes me wonder what’s going through people’s heads now,” JJ said.

Under the law, someone caught camping on public land would first receive a warning and information about available resources.

They would have 48 hours to leave at least 300 feet away. They then could face 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Sanctuary Indy is a nonprofit with a mission to help solve homelessness throughout Indianapolis. Founder Michelle Shelburne says the SEA 285 is a step in the wrong direction and effectively criminalizes homelessness.

“I know a lot of individuals through our street outreach that will be filling up our jail system to be arrested,” Shelburne said. “Then [they have] nowhere to go. I don’t see that as a viable solution for our housing crisis.”

The Goodalls’ struggle is amplified because JJ can’t work. He takes care of Jennifer full-time. She lost vision in both of her eyes years ago.

Earlier this year, they were connected with Sanctuary Indy’s support services, including nutritionists and a financial advisor.

“We were living in the dumpster area of the Dollar Tree,” Jennifer said. “Stacy, their outreach advocate, came by and started talking to us, and it just all happened from there.”

Part of the nonprofit’s work includes developing Circle City Village, a housing complex for homeless people and families.

Later this year, the Goodalls will be among the first residents to move into six tiny homes for couples and individuals.

Plans for the village’s second phase include five duplexes for ten families.

“They lifted us up and gave us a lot of hope right now, so we’re holding on to that right now,” JJ said.

They know people who rely on public spaces for shelter. Both are worried about what the new law will mean for others in their situation.

“There’s no real safe place that you can sleep, especially if you’re outside,” Jennifer said. “To do that to those people who are already down as far as they can possibly get is not right.”

According to data from the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Marion County is short 33,600 housing units for households at or below 30% of the area median income.

Shelburne is urging lawmakers to see the real people impacted.

“We need more help starting from the ground up,” Shelburne said. “Not coming up with band-aid solutions that are just going to increase our crisis.”

The first phase of construction on Circle City Village is scheduled to be completed this summer.