On September 8, the City-County Council voted on a motion from District 20 Councilor Michael-Paul Hart. The motion would decide if a final public hearing would be held regarding Google’s petition to rezone 468 acres of Franklin Township farmland for a data center. The proposed site is bounded by Post Road, Vandergriff Road, Davis Road, and Troy Avenue
The City-County Council voted unanimously to advance the petition to a final public hearing scheduled for September 22. This hearing will be the public’s last opportunity to be heard before the Council votes on Google’s petition, making the stakes for Franklin Township higher than ever.
Data centers present a growing threat to all Hoosiers
This petition is part of a larger push to construct data centers across Indiana, largely to increase capacity for artificial intelligence (AI). With over 30 operational data centers and dozens of pending proposals, Google argues these sites benefit their local communities and the state. However, many residents remain unconvinced.
Make no mistake: the construction of this and other data centers across Indiana will have a lasting impact on all Hoosiers. Residents will collectively bear the brunt of increased energy costs and strained utility infrastructure required to keep these facilities running.
The community fights back
Ahead of the vote, community members and organizers from Franklin Township mobilized outside of the City-County building alongside Councilors Jesse Brown (District 13) and Hart to make their stark opposition to the data center known.
Community leader Meredith Sharp explained the vote’s significance, noting it would determine whether the public could continue to influence the decision. While she remained “hopeful that the [City-County Council] will make the right decision” in the public’s favor, she stated that a lawsuit would be the next step if the council failed to do so.
Andrew Filler, an organizer with the Citizen’s Action Coalition (CAC), warned that if approved, the data center would change the lives of Marion County Hoosiers through increased utility rates, heavy water usage, and a profound sense that the city had “let [its residents] down.”
Finally, Julie Goldsberry, a leader with the opposition group Protect Franklin Township (PFT), said she is “cautiously optimistic as the public display of opposition to the data center continues to build.” Acknowledging the difficulty of fighting a “large and well-funded opponent,” she made it clear she plans to “‘keep the pedal to the metal’ and fight this with all that is in us because it’s critical to the future of all Marion County residents.”
By all accounts, the residents at Monday’s rally and subsequent vote have taken a fighting stance, positioning themselves between their community and a data center they fear will bring noise, light, and water pollution to their homes.
Hoosiers’ collective power
Fortunately, the public is not powerless. Months of hard work by community members and organizations like PFT and the CAC have galvanized opposition to the data center among residents and councilors alike. Monday’s rally drew dozens of Hoosiers taking a stand against tech giant Google and any councilors supporting its plan. Furthermore, as of Monday’s vote, PFT’s petition against the construction has garnered over 7,000 signatures, and public outcry has led 17 councilors to publicly pledge to vote “no” on the proposal.
In the wake of the tech industry’s growing focus on AI, it is clear companies are seeking to cut costs at the public’s expense. But the willingness of Franklin Township and Marion County residents to fight back against all odds proves that the working class holds enormous power when we band together in defense of our communities.
Featured photo: People of multiple generations stand outside of the City-County Council building holding signs. Photo credit: Indianapolis Liberation Center