Bristol council accepts Innovation Park withdrawal
See Also
The meeting drew a full crowd of residents, many expecting further discussion on the controversial proposal. Instead, council members approved a resolution acknowledging that the property's owners had withdrawn their request for rezoning.
The proposal, brought on by landowners, sought to rezone about 100 acres of annexed farmland for the Bristol Innovation Park development.
Residents had repeatedly voiced concerns during previous public meetings that the requested zoning changes could ultimately allow a large-scale data center to be built on the site.
The council approved the resolution accepting the withdrawal, effectively ending the current rezoning request.
"The property owners could come back in the future and ask for another rezoning,” said Bristol Town Council President Jeff Beachy. “That would have to be different from what was requested in the current DPUD that was just withdrawn."
The Detailed Planned Unit Development (DPUD) would have changed the property's zoning to M-1 industrial, a designation that could have permitted construction of a data center.
Although the current proposal has been withdrawn, residents said they remain concerned the project could return in another form.
"With the lack of transparency that's been going on, I feel like the residents aren't being heard, so anything can happen.” Resident Ernest Davis said.
Several residents attended the meeting carrying signs supporting a moratorium on future data center developments. However, Beachy said the town council does not have the legal authority to enact one.
"Even if the Bristol Town Council wanted to entertain a moratorium, we legally can't do it," Beachy said. "We don't manage the zoning ordinances for Elkhart County."
Because Bristol is not a city and does not control county zoning regulations, any effort to establish a broader moratorium on data center development would need to be pursued through Elkhart County rather than the town council.
The property owners have not announced any future plans for the site.