How Indianapolis residents beat Google’s $1 billion data center proposal

A whole lot of cheers erupted contained in the Indianapolis Metropolis-County Council chambers on September 22, 2025, when Google’s legal professional introduced the tech large was withdrawing its $1 billion information middle proposal. The dramatic last-minute reversal got here simply minutes earlier than councilors have been set to vote on the controversial mission.

“We beat Google,” stated one girl in video footage of the celebration. “For a very long time, we felt like 4 individuals with cardboard swords preventing a monster however tonight reveals that individuals energy nonetheless rings.”

The victory in Franklin Township represents one of many first profitable citizen campaigns towards the wave of AI information facilities sweeping throughout America. It demonstrates that organized communities can problem even the world’s largest tech corporations when armed with information, persistence, and unified opposition.

The struggle started in March 2025 when an LLC referred to as Deep Meadow Ventures filed rezoning requests for 468 acres of farmland on Indianapolis’ southeast facet. The corporate’s id remained hid behind non-disclosure agreements that prevented even native officers from revealing who needed to construct of their neighborhood.

Andrew Filler moved to Franklin Township in 2017 searching for house for a small hobby farm. When he heard concerning the large growth deliberate close to his property, he launched “Shield Franklin Township,” a grassroots marketing campaign to cease it.

“We’re a big neighborhood, actually at nighttime, and it is actually regarding,” Filler stated concerning the secrecy surrounding the proposal.

Documents obtained by WFYI in July 2025 revealed Google as the corporate behind Venture Flo. The tech large by no means formally confirmed its involvement, even because the controversy intensified.

Water and electrical energy fears mobilized neighbors

Brittany York moved to Franklin Township for extra space and yard the place she may watch the sunsets, however her property floods when it rains—generally as much as her ankles. The proposed information middle would sit proper towards her property line.

“Folks jokingly say they reside in houseboats as a result of they must drive by means of water simply to get to their home,” York defined. She feared the large growth would worsen flooding, threatening the house she labored arduous to take pleasure in.

Meredith Sharp runs an herbal skincare business on her three-acre property, rising product substances on her land simply blocks from the proposed web site. “If this have been to cross, I will lose my farm,” Sharp stated, apprehensive the middle would pressure the water provide she depends upon.

Sharp had spent her whole life working towards this property. “Will probably be destroyed,” she stated.

Knowledge facilities rank among the many top 10 largest water-consuming industries in the USA, in line with analysis cited by opponents. Residents with effectively water had explicit cause for alarm.

The ability would generate constant noise at 65 decibels—equal to a vacuum cleaner operating 24 hours a day, seven days every week, in line with Filler’s evaluation of the plans.

Analysis from Harvard University printed in 2025 discovered that secret offers between utilities and tech corporations can shift power prices onto close by residents. Franklin Township residents feared infrastructure improve bills would fall on taxpayers.

Newly introduced data center facilities in early 2024 required practically 24 gigawatts of energy—greater than thrice the capability introduced throughout the identical interval the earlier yr, in line with power analysts. That is sufficient electrical energy to provide tens of hundreds of thousands of U.S. households concurrently.

Secrecy and NDAs fueled mistrust

Michael-Paul Hart, the Metropolis-County Council member representing Franklin Township, signed a non-disclosure agreement associated to the proposed information middle, elevating questions on how a lot data can be publicly obtainable.

Hart, who works for a separate tech firm and was elected in 2019, defined he signed the NDA “for one cause: to be included within the dialog.”

“I talked to some of us, after which I had like two opinions, proper?” Hart advised WFYI in June. “One’s telling me, ‘Do not do it. It is public, you realize, that ought to be open, and all this stuff.’ And the opposite is saying, ‘Nicely, you are not going to be within the dialog should you do not signal it.'”

The secrecy prolonged past elected officers. Franklin Township Faculties superintendent Chase Huotari allegedly signed a non-disclosure agreement with Google after the district reversed its place to help the mission, in line with Hart’s claims on social media.

Days earlier than the scheduled vote, Franklin Township Neighborhood Faculties introduced help for the info middle after beforehand opposing it. The district cited the necessity to develop its industrial tax base after going through a $2.4 million loss in native property tax income because of Governor Mike Braun’s property tax reduction plan.

“Franklin Township Superintendent bought out to Google for an undisclosed quantity,” Hart wrote on X. “Refused to tell me of the quantity acquired from Google. Claimed he cannot say as a result of he signed an NDA.”

The varsity district didn’t reply to requests for remark concerning the alleged NDA.

Restricted jobs, large tax breaks raised doubts

Hart argued the mission would not provide the recurring tax base wanted to fund training and infrastructure as Franklin Township grows. The information middle would supply solely a handful of everlasting jobs whereas monopolizing greater than 450 acres of developable land.

Beneath Indiana legislation, data centers can obtain tax breaks lasting as much as 50 years. Google’s proposal included many years of tax abatements in change for about 50 everlasting positions.

Councilor Ron Gibson, who supported the mission, countered that the 400-acre parcel at the moment generated round $40,000 in tax revenue, whereas Google would generate $10.5 million yearly. However opponents questioned whether or not these figures accounted for the long-term tax exemptions.

District 7 Councilor John Barth opposed the project, citing “main considerations about water use, monumental power calls for, noise and the long-term lack of land that could possibly be used for housing or neighborhood initiatives”.

District 15 Councilor Rena Allen acknowledged: “The ability would considerably increase energy use and emissions, threaten our native water provide, and add heavy visitors that strains roads and infrastructure”.

Months of organizing constructed unstoppable momentum

Filler’s Shield Franklin Township marketing campaign gathered greater than 2,400 signatures on a petition opposing the event. The group held neighborhood conferences, distributed informational flyers, and coordinated testimony for public hearings.

Neighborhood chief Meredith Sharp defined that the September 22 vote would decide whether or not the general public may proceed to affect the choice, and that a lawsuit can be the subsequent step if the council failed to dam the mission.

Julie Goldsberry, a frontrunner with Shield Franklin Township, acknowledged the problem of preventing a “large and well-funded opponent” however vowed to “hold the pedal to the steel” as a result of it was “important to the way forward for all Marion County residents”.

The August 21, 2025 listening to earlier than the Metropolitan Growth Fee drew packed crowds. After commissioners voted 8-1 to approve the rezoning, offended neighbors shouted “Sellouts!” and loud boos erupted contained in the Metropolis-County Constructing.

However the fee’s approval was solely step one. The proposal nonetheless required Metropolis-County Council approval, and by September, the vast majority of councilors had publicly declared opposition.

On September 8, roughly 60 protesters gathered outdoors the council assembly holding indicators studying “Shield Franklin Township”. The turnout continued constructing because the September 22 vote approached.

Google withdraws earlier than remaining vote

A whole lot of individuals packed the council chambers and overflow rooms on September 22. Sharp stated she was “continuously preventing a panic assault” over what would occur on the assembly.

Councilor Michael-Paul Hart shocked dozens of residents within the overflow room when he announced Google deliberate to withdraw, simply minutes earlier than the scheduled vote. Joseph Calderon, Google’s native legal professional, confirmed the information moments later.

The group erupted in celebration.

“We’re overwhelmingly joyful,” Sharp advised reporters after the announcement.

Filler stated he did not count on Google to withdraw regardless of feeling ecstatic. The corporate can refile a rezoning petition in three months.

“We will be vigilant,” Filler stated. “We will defend our houses and hold our neighborhood sport constructed up.”

Hart famous that in his six years on the council, he had by no means seen both overflow rooms and the council chamber fully full. “That’s a tremendous testomony of what simply occurred tonight,” he stated.

A Google spokesperson acknowledged: “We now have withdrawn the rezoning application for the proposed information middle growth in Franklin Township. Whereas we’re disillusioned that this mission just isn’t transferring ahead, we look ahead to continued alternatives for development within the state”.

Classes for different communities

The Franklin Township victory got here as different Indiana communities confronted comparable battles. In close by Lebanon, a 1,500-acre Meta information middle superior by means of planning approvals regardless of native opposition. In Fort Wayne, Google acquired permission to construct on protected wetlands for its $2 billion Venture Zodiac campus after limiting public remark durations.

Filler advised different communities going through information middle proposals that they’ve the power to push back in the event that they work collectively. “Exit, knock in your neighbor’s door,” he stated. “It is time to go outdoors and see what you possibly can study.”

The broader context makes their success much more outstanding. Data centers supporting AI development devour monumental portions of electrical energy and water, with corporations investing a whole bunch of billions in infrastructure growth.

Meta’s Georgia facilities have already induced water shortages in some communities, consuming roughly 10 p.c of Newton County’s complete day by day water provide. Europe faces similar infrastructure crises, with the Netherlands experiencing as much as 10-year wait instances for brand spanking new information middle grid connections.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett issued a statement after Google’s withdrawal: “Indianapolis is a metropolis the place many come to develop, to innovate, and to thrive. With billions of {dollars} in ongoing growth, vital funding in our economic system, and our place as one in all LinkedIn’s ‘cities on the rise’, it’s no marvel Google was excited about calling Indianapolis residence”.

The mayor emphasised town stays “dedicated to working alongside enterprise leaders and neighbors to proceed attracting new investments that create high quality jobs.”

However for Franklin Township residents, the victory proved one thing extra elementary: that organized communities can nonetheless decide their very own futures, even when going through the world’s strongest companies.

Knowledge facilities aren’t completed in Indiana. Google has a facility underneath development in Fort Wayne. However the Franklin Township struggle established a template for resistance that different communities are already learning.

As one unidentified resident stated within the celebration video: “Folks energy nonetheless rings.”

International information middle disaster: Tales from the US and Europe

The Franklin Township victory is a component of a bigger world reckoning with AI infrastructure’s environmental and social prices. Communities throughout the USA and Europe are confronting comparable challenges as tech corporations race to construct large information facilities.

Meta’s billion-dollar infrastructure push

Meta announced unprecedented AI infrastructure funding on July 14, 2025, planning “a whole bunch of billions of {dollars}” in gigawatt-scale information facilities. The corporate’s Prometheus cluster in New Albany, Ohio will ship over 1 gigawatt capability—sufficient to energy roughly 750,000 houses constantly.

The even bigger Hyperion facility in Richland Parish, Louisiana will ultimately attain 5 gigawatts across 4 million sq. toes spanning 2,250 acres. CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the footprint as overlaying “a big a part of the footprint of Manhattan.”

Whereas Meta achieves industry-leading 0.20 L/kWh water utilization effectiveness in comparison with the 1.80 L/kWh {industry} common, absolutely the scale creates significant local impact. The corporate’s present information facilities have already induced water shortages in some communities.

Georgia communities wrestle with water depletion

Meta’s Newton County facility makes use of roughly 10 p.c of the county’s complete day by day water consumption, in line with Mike Hopkins, government director of the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority.

“What the info facilities do not perceive is that they are taking up the neighborhood wealth,” Hopkins defined. “We simply do not have the water”.

The water authority struggles accommodating initiatives and related tax income whereas preserving sufficient resident water provides. Their answer entails upgrading recycling facilities, which Hopkins described as a “race towards the clock” costing over $250 million.

Knowledge middle corporations hardly ever disclose water consumption figures, leaving policymakers with out enough regulatory data, stated Chris Manganiello, water coverage director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. His analysis revealed one company requesting 9 million gallons day by day, equal to 30,000 family consumption.

Corporations prioritize services in areas with low-cost energy over water availability, typically deciding on drought-stricken areas as a result of electrical energy prices exceed water bills for information middle operations.

Europe’s grid disaster intensifies

The Netherlands faces an electricity grid crisis forcing energy rationing as AI information facilities and electrification outpace infrastructure capability. Greater than 11,900 companies await connections, with some going through as much as 10-year wait instances—the longest amongst surveyed jurisdictions.

In accordance with the Worldwide Power Company, Europe accounts for about 15% of worldwide information middle electrical energy consumption at 70 TWh in 2024, but this determine is projected to grow by greater than 45 TWh by 2030—a 70% enhance.

Germany experiences as much as 7-year delays for brand spanking new connections, whereas the UK faces 5-7 yr queues. Ireland has paused new information middle connections in Dublin till 2030.

A typical AI-focused information middle consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, whereas the most important services underneath development in the present day will devour 20 instances that quantity, in line with Worldwide Power Company analysis.

Accelerated servers, primarily pushed by AI expertise adoption, are projected to grow by 30% yearly in line with IEA evaluation, whereas typical server electrical energy consumption development stays at 9% per yr.

Sustainability commitments conflict with AI ambitions

Meta’s September 2025 Sustainability Report presents a fancy image of environmental ambition shadowed by the fact of large AI infrastructure calls for. The corporate goals to realize web zero emissions throughout its worth chain and turn out to be water constructive by 2030.

Nevertheless, the July 2025 announcement of Prometheus and Hyperion information middle clusters threatens to reverse good points by means of energy consumption equivalent to 4-5 million American houses yearly.

Meta’s transition to liquid cooling programs for AI workloads creates unprecedented water calls for. The corporate’s Air-Assisted Liquid Cooling structure requires hundreds of thousands of gallons day by day per facility.

European regulatory framework emerges

The Netherlands printed its fifth AI and Algorithms Report on July 15, 2025, outlining important developments in synthetic intelligence regulation. The regulatory sandbox initiative will turn out to be operational by August 2026, offering supervised testing environments for AI programs underneath the European AI Act.

Power consumption considerations gained prominence in regulatory discussions. In accordance with analysis cited within the Dutch report, AI applications consume between 11 and 20 p.c of worldwide information middle electrical energy.

The environmental influence extends past power to incorporate water consumption, with some estimates suggesting vital useful resource calls for from AI processing operations.

Nuclear partnerships emerge as answer

Google announced on August 18, 2025, a landmark collaboration with Kairos Energy and Tennessee Valley Authority to deploy the primary Era IV superior nuclear reactor related to the US electrical energy grid.

The partnership establishes an influence buy settlement enabling TVA to purchase electrical energy from Kairos Energy’s Hermes 2 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, marking the first commercial deployment underneath Google’s broader 500-megawatt nuclear capability initiative.

Knowledge facilities at the moment account for 2% of US emissions at 105 million metric tons of carbon yearly, with main tech corporations investing a whole bunch of billions in AI infrastructure creating extra pressure on electrical energy grids.

The Franklin Township victory demonstrates that residents can efficiently problem these infrastructure initiatives when armed with data, neighborhood organizing, and dedication. As AI calls for speed up globally, the template established by Indianapolis residents might show important for communities worldwide.

Timeline

March 2025

• Deep Meadow Ventures LLC information rezoning request for 468 acres in Franklin Township
• Firm id hid behind non-disclosure agreements

Might 2025

• Andrew Filler launches Shield Franklin Township marketing campaign
• Petition towards information middle begins gathering signatures

June 2025

• Councilor Hart reveals he signed NDA to study mission particulars
• Public data request reveals resident considerations about transparency

July 2025

August 2025

September 2025

Future

• Google can refile in three months (December 2025)
• Neighborhood organizers vow continued vigilance
• Netherlands regulatory sandbox launches August 2026
• Eire might resume Dublin information middle connections in 2030

Abstract

Who: Franklin Township residents Andrew Filler, Meredith Sharp, Brittany York, Julie Goldsberry, and a whole bunch of neighborhood members; Shield Franklin Township grassroots group; Councilor Michael-Paul Hart; Google/Deep Meadow Ventures LLC; Franklin Township Faculties

What: Neighborhood organized sustained opposition to Google’s $1 billion information middle on 468 acres of farmland, forcing the tech large to withdraw its rezoning software minutes earlier than a scheduled Metropolis-County Council vote. The marketing campaign succeeded by means of petition drives, public testimony, protests, and constructing majority council opposition over considerations about water consumption, electrical energy prices, environmental impacts, secrecy, and restricted job creation.

When: Marketing campaign started in March 2025 when rezoning request filed; intensified by means of summer time 2025; victory achieved September 22, 2025, when Google withdrew earlier than scheduled vote

The place: Franklin Township on southeast facet of Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana, close to South Submit Highway and I-74 interchange; proposed web site coated practically 470 acres of farmland adjoining to residential neighborhoods

Why: Residents feared the info middle would dramatically enhance flooding, pressure already-limited water provides, elevate electrical energy charges by means of cost-shifting, generate fixed noise air pollution, supply solely 50 everlasting jobs regardless of consuming 450+ acres, and obtain many years of tax breaks whereas infrastructure prices fell on taxpayers. Secret NDAs stopping transparency about environmental and monetary impacts fueled mistrust and unified opposition throughout the neighborhood.