[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6521461,"mediaKeyId","5091879-c651ce4a02bf4760710b4f7a6e947826","parentId",5091879,"title","Hearing examiner issues recommendations, continuances and approvals for multiple petitions at June 26 MDC hearing","audioSeconds",1517,"startMs",298000,"endMs",1815000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5091879-c651ce4a02bf4760710b4f7a6e947826&start=298&end=1815","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5091879-c651ce4a02bf4760710b4f7a6e947826/thumbnail_298000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6521461/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Hearing-examiner-issues-recommendations-continuances-and-approvals-for-multiple-petitions-at-June-26-MDC-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521461-43b70b1c641e6a4c880302fd65a4ac73/orig.mp4?Expires=1770646565&Signature=GndgTu8gSbYXP2ysdxwle0tW69lpaFMY1CHRgNoKIFxpy5t4xQegov7~rKvzF9g2iQ-5kSa3yYfipaXJ0LyWdxBUExzp-191Lozmc1zUJDfE8viVwgK4SnnROvB3G6dkcgZtcS2DHrrJ-A~~uDmRMGDbl7Y2dSEUUfPZD90fKNj3YDF7f6-Tp3GPfRQwrVfLVGqwOqkE2TePpDvxcZ-Q76D5tziADW20OeNGBYrMXgjwyhEP3DZff1fy3PlqtoDQTIPPfBakL-LlmCBEJcdOYDmZcriCul8CfY8ZrYvBiYwM8008TojUIU4NmX~8hFtr0IZl5Kvh0kt7beOgeI2z9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Indianapolis, IN","date","2025-06-26T00:00:00Z","article","The Metropolitan Development Commission hearing examiner handled more than two dozen petitions at the June 26 hearing. The examiner announced continuances, moved several items to the expedited docket, recommended approval on multiple petitions and denied or removed a few items after testimony or staff objection. Below are the key outcomes and actions recorded at the hearing. Items are listed by docket number and the hearing examiner’s action or recommendation.

Continued (new hearing dates noted in transcript):
- 2025MOD012 (8809 S Meridian St): continued to July 10, 2025 (with notice).
- 2025ZON054: continued to July 24, 2025 (staff request for cause).
- 2025CZN/CBC829 (Evanston Ave companion petitions): continued to July 10, 2025 (without notice as petitioner had timely mailed notices).
- 2025CZN/CPL/CVR826 (2955 N Meridian St): continued two weeks to July 10, 2025 (staff requested time to review an amended site plan and finalize a bus shelter/dedication commitment); petitioner agreed.
- 2025MOD011 (Q. Q. Q. line/Monon area): continued to allow submittal of a landscape plan by August 26, 2025 as a condition for approval.

Expedited docket — examiner recommended approval or placed on MDC agenda (all are scheduled for MDC consideration July 16 unless noted):
- 2025APP004 (1340 E County Line Rd): staff recommended approval; examiner recommended approval subject to substantial compliance with the site and landscape plan dated 05/23/2025.
- 2025ZON047 (7525 McFarland Blvd): examiner recommended approval subject to staff conditions and removal of one commitment related to an access easement (staff and petitioner to coordinate with DPW).
- 2025ZON056 (8501 & 8651 S Emerson Ave and 5260 Naugle Way): examiner recommended approval subject to the written staff commitment.
- 2025MOD008 (7436 Rockville Rd): examiner recommended approval of the modification request; petitioner said he had completed an original sidewalk commitment.
- 2025CZN/CVR822 (3802 & 3810 N Franklin Rd): examiner recommended approval of the rezoning and granted the variances as amended (amended site plan dated 05/29/2025); some previously‑requested variances were withdrawn.
- 2025APP005 (2510 W Lane Rd, Wish Park improvements): examiner recommended approval subject to the revised site plan dated June 2025.
- 2025ZON057 (7905 E 40th St): examiner recommended approval subject to staff commitments and a tree inventory/tree study commitment.
- 2025CPL/CVR827 (2855 N Franklin Rd): examiner granted the CVR and approved the plat subject to 14 conditions and two variance commitments (tree inventory/preservation commitments applied to variance rather than plat).

Denied or removed from expedited list:
- 2025CAP008 (Pendleton Pike mini‑storage expansion request as a modification/variance within a recently implemented TOD overlay): staff recommended denial because the proposed intensification of self‑storage conflicts with the Transit‑Oriented Development overlay; the examiner recommended denial of the modification and variance (to be on MDC July 16 with a denial recommendation).
- Brookside Avenue petition 2025ZON058 (1229 & 1231 Brookside) was removed from expedited consideration when a remonstrator arrived; the full hearing was held later in the docket (the hearing examiner ultimately recommended approval for 2025ZON058 and placed it on the July 16 MDC agenda).

Other decisions and notable actions:
- 2020CBC843 (605 E 30th St): hearing examiner granted a waiver of MDC rules to allow payment of assessment of benefits more than one year after vacation approval, subject to payment of $1,200 by 08/26/2025.
- 2025CZN814 (Data center campus, 467.668 acres): after an extended public hearing with extensive remonstrance and letters from utilities, the hearing examiner recommended approval subject to 35 commitments (see separate article for details); placed on July 16 MDC agenda.
- 2025CZN824 / CVR/CVC824 (Housing hub / supportive services site): the examiner recommended approval of the rezoning and granted the variances and vacation requests as amended, subject to commitments and site plan revisions.
- 2025ZON055 (6225, 6233 & 6245 Kentucky Ave): the examiner recommended approval of rezoning to C‑4 subject to five commitments requested by the Decatur Township Civic Council, and agreed to coordination on an extension of Ameriplex Parkway (the petitioner offered to dedicate right‑of‑way for future road extension).

How decisions were recorded
Most actions at the hearing were recorded as the hearing examiner’s recommendation or as continuances; many items will appear on the Metropolitan Development Commission agenda for final action on July 16, 2025. Several items were explicitly placed on the expedited portion of the docket (petitioner agreed and staff had no remonstrance present). Where staff or remonstrators raised procedural or notice problems, cases were continued or removed from expedited consideration.

What’s next
All items recommended for approval will appear on the MDC agenda July 16; items continued were given dates by the examiner. Parties wishing to appeal examiner decisions were reminded of the automatic appeal right and the five‑business‑day filing window under MDC rules of procedure.

Full list of docket actions and specific staff conditions are available in the Department of Metropolitan Development’s hearing packet and the staff report referenced at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council of Indianapolis, IN - Metropolitan Development Commission Hearing Examiner - Jun 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the June 26 hearing the examiner continued several petitions, placed many petitions on the expedited docket and recommended approval for numerous rezonings and modifications; several items were denied or taken off the expedited list after public remonstrance.","taxTitle","Indianapolis City, Marion County, Indiana","taxId",3627,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6521467,"Hearing examiner recommends rezoning for 467-acre data center campus amid neighborhood protest",4352,6448000,10800000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5091879-c651ce4a02bf4760710b4f7a6e947826&start=6448&end=10800","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5091879-c651ce4a02bf4760710b4f7a6e947826/thumbnail_6448000.jpg","/articles/6521467/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Hearing-examiner-recommends-rezoning-for-467-acre-data-center-campus-amid-neighborhood-protest","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521467-f5ae47186bb7a983c8c13a1d80174b6e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770646565&Signature=R6iJpUEGYQGiJzuh1WDbpITNUTqd-~AoJbyGvLie~ertJsVtbJoJFp1C~b0gIUHWfteclEY0m3QA01VT-BMFTxBa1op7CGGPuBtGyTRLxH9LwhK9ZICdkXF5xXb8aVK8cNUC6k3DXuciyxvgwHm1PytqaVVYNHjLO9LVbf55gNuNO4B6e~GIwhRbthHIjnavw2RiQPJBIKfePiCTkc3nHqpINmr4mbtLYpIKYOtQdYZ72zIGbC34Gw~BO-GWGEgdpzkqmw4em94NR~ZT-rJp-nRgP7ikoWasEDd910gpzkKqs3uBPynmHWuR-rnS6-zlhrwuuAl8VLp8Xdqeu65p3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The hearing examiner recommended approval on June 26 of a rezoning petition to allow a multi-building data center campus on about 467.7 acres on the Franklin/Warren Township border, after a contested public hearing with dozens of neighbors in attendance.

The petitioner, represented by attorney Joe Calderon, asked to rezone a large group of parcels to the CS (Commercial Service) district and to grant variances including building heights up to 75 feet and increased front-yard setbacks to permit a campus of data center buildings. “What we're proposing is actually a data center campus,” Calderon said as he described multiple buildings and the project’s utility requirements.

Neighbors and community members urged denial. Several speakers described health, environmental and infrastructure concerns. “My 6‑year‑old son has recurrent autoimmune encephalitis. Environmental overload makes him very ill and causes his brain to swell,” said Meredith Sharp, a nearby resident, who asked for more detailed information on water, noise and electromagnetic fields. Julie Goldsberry, vice president of the Greater Troy Neighborhood Association, said residents worry that utility and emergency‑generator demands will increase local rates and that the project could leave the township paying for infrastructure upgrades. Andrew Filler and other neighbors cited flooding and construction‑traffic impacts.

Staff and utility representatives told the hearing examiner that they had evaluated feasibility and that letters from AES Indiana and Citizens Energy Group were on file. Staff reported an initial noise study showing a peak property‑line level of about 63 dBA under worst‑case conditions and said petitioner commitments set a 65 dBA maximum at the property line for routine operation, with higher levels allowed only for emergency generator testing or emergency operations. Staff also described commitments to bury above‑ground utilities where feasible, to preserve stream protection corridors, and to work with Trails and Greenways on trail routing. The petitioner confirmed commitments to upsize water and sewer mains to the site and to dedicate a large no‑build area between Fisher Ditch and Troy Avenue as open space and trail corridor.

The hearing examiner told speakers she understood the depth of neighborhood concern but noted the comprehensive plan’s recommendations in much of the site for light industrial/office‑industrial uses and the property’s proximity to I‑74 and existing transmission infrastructure. After public comment and staff discussion, the examiner recommended approval “subject to the 35 commitments being proposed,” and said the petition would be placed on the Metropolitan Development Commission agenda for July 16 for final commission action.

The petition drew broad public interest at the hearing. Supporters pointed to potential infrastructure investment and guaranteed commitments for trail connections, upgraded utility lines and buffers. Opponents cited unclear long‑term water and electricity impacts, the possibility of increasing utility rates, noise/light/security concerns, impacts to wildlife and to property values, and the potential that the site could become functionally obsolete in a few decades. Councilor Hart (City‑County Council) said she had reviewed economic models and, while acknowledging utility interest and letters of support, said she could not back the proposal in its current form because of concerns about long‑term opportunity costs for the district and the potential restraints the project could impose on other, job‑creating industrial development nearby.

The hearing examiner’s recommendation does not finalize the rezoning. The petition will appear on the Metropolitan Development Commission agenda on July 16; any final decision may be appealed in accordance with MDC rules.","Metropolitan Development Commission hearing examiner recommended approval of a rezoning request to allow a multi-building data center campus in Franklin/Warren township area, subject to 35 commitments. Neighbors raised concerns about noise, water use and long-term community impacts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Hearing examiner issues recommendations, continuances and approvals for multiple petitions at June 26 MDC hearing

Hearing examiner recommends rezoning for 467-acre data center campus amid neighborhood protest