Residents in Martindale-Brightwood have spent decades living with the environmental consequences of industrial development. Now, they say a proposed data center could repeat that history.
Community members gathered at Oasis of Hope Baptist Church Thursday night to study renderings of the project, ask local experts questions and organize opposition.
“This neighborhood is no stranger to predatory developers or companies looking to make a quick return without investing in the people that live here,” said Jasmine Buchanan of the Martindale-Brightwood Community Development Corporation.
The historically Black Indianapolis neighborhood has become the latest battleground over Indiana’s growing data center industry. California-based developer Metrobloks has filed a rezoning request to build a data center complex on a nearly 14-acre plot of land on Sherman Avenue at the site of a former drive-in theater.
Residents say the proposal has reignited longstanding concerns about pollution in the area — including lead-contaminated soil — and fears that the project could bring additional burdens related to noise, water use and power demand.
Data centers are facilities that store and process large amounts of digital information. Their rapid expansion has been driven by the rise of artificial intelligence and increased demand for data storage, with companies increasingly flocking to states like Indiana for cheaper land and tax abatements approved by the state legislature in 2019.
Gov. Mike Braun and other state Republican leaders have voiced support for data center development and suggest communities could benefit from their property taxes.
Paula Brooks, the environmental justice director with the Hoosier Environmental Council and a panelist at the meeting, said she is tired of seeing Black communities shoulder the costs of industrial development.
“It’s critical that we make sure the neighborhood survives another 150 years,” Brooks said. “And right now, it’s in trouble.”
Metrobloks filed a rezoning request with the city Oct. 16, according to the Department of Metropolitan Development, just days after neighborhood residents stopped traffic during a protest against the development. City-County Councilor Ron Gibson, who represents the area and did not attend Thursday’s meeting, said he supports the project and argues it’s different from larger-scale data centers proposed elsewhere in the region.
In the Metrobloks proposal, officials said they would work with the utility company to prevent financial impact to local residents by purchasing long-term agreements and paying for any infrastructure upgrades. And the company is “open to training and internships for local residents.”
One of those proposed data centers was from Google in Franklin Township. After months of community pushback and organizing, Google withdrew its rezoning request for more than 460 acres on the southeastern side of Marion County.
Brittany York, a resident of Franklin Township, helped organize her neighbors against Google. And now, she wants Martindale-Brightwood residents to do the same.
“Be consistent. Show up, don't give up and be loud,” she advised at Thursday’s meeting.
The Metropolitan Development Commission’s hearing examiner will hear the rezoning petition Thursday, Jan. 15. Residents can testify in person or submit written public comments.
Farrah Anderson is an investigative health reporter with WFYI and Side Effects Public Media. You can follow her on X at @farrahsoa or by email at fanderson@wfyi.org.