Michigan City residents raise concerns over protections for Google in new Data Center Moratorium

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- Michigan City residents are calling for stronger restrictions on data center development as the City Council considers a new moratorium that some activists say could leave the door open for Google's Project Maize.

The proposed ordinance would pause most new data center development until 2028. However, residents who gathered outside City Hall on Tuesday evening said an exception for projects with vested rights could allow certain developments to move forward.

The council previously considered a separate data center moratorium, but that proposal was indefinitely tabled.

Jada O'Rourke, a Michigan City resident, said she is concerned about the potential effects of large-scale data center development on the community.

"It's really scary to think what might happen," O'Rourke said. "This is going to be a very large business or data center, so it needs to be addressed properly."

Residents also raised concerns about

Google's Project Maize, a data center development under construction in Michigan City that includes a building planned to cover approximately 400,000 square feet.

Eileen Mark, a Michigan City resident and member of Just Transition Northwest Indiana, said the project's potential to expand could threaten nearby homes, natural areas and community spaces.

"They've admitted that this is a hyperscale, which means it expands outward, so our concern is that they're going to expand over there," Mark said.

Mark pointed to Section D(4) of the proposed ordinance, which outlines an exception for Google’s current project and other developments with vested rights.

She said the language raises questions about which projects could be exempt from the moratorium.

"They've got an exclusionary clause about vested rights and that could mean anything," Mark said. "We don't know who else might be planning a data center or who they've talked with."

The proposed moratorium would otherwise pause additional data center development through 2028, giving the city time to consider the future of such projects.

The City Council is expected to take up the ordinance for a second reading at its Nov. 3 meeting. Council member Nancy Moldenhauer has also proposed bringing the original moratorium ordinance back for consideration.