Provident Realty Advisors has withdrawn its proposal for a $1.3 billion data center in Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana.

The Texas-based company notified Chesterton officials on June 10, according to the NWI Times.

Provident Realty Advisors also withdrew the application for the annexation of 27 acres of the former Brassie Golf Course site.

The decision followed backlash from local residents regarding the development, with concerns surrounding negative impacts of air, water, energy, wetlands, wildlife, reduced home values, and mental health issues caused by the stress of the project.

"I don’t think you wanted to be on the town council to make people want to move out of our town, which countless citizens will do if this project moves forward," Dogwood Estates resident Jenny Hansen wrote following that gathering. "But wait, no one will buy our homes."

The data center campus, initially announced in May 2024, was expected to consist of eight buildings, each spanning 150,000 sq ft (13,935 sqm), along with backup generators. The parcel of land on which the campus was set to be developed spans 200 acres.

A hyperscaler was the targeted end user.

George Gonzalez, a representative of Provident Realty Advisors, said that the developer was keen to minimize the impact on nearby homeowners, and thus would not fence in the 200-acre site. Instead, landscaping would be used along the eastern boundary to reduce noise, and the generators would all have noise suppressors so as to ensure a maximum decibel level of 42. According to Audicus, 40 dB is described as equivalent to a quiet library, while 50 dB is comparable to a fridge.

Had the project progressed, groundbreaking was scheduled for Q1 2026.

Members of the town council, however, instigated a series of public forums for residents to share their concerns, and questioned the scale of Provident's proposal.

"At its current scale, and especially at this location, the Town Council could never support this project," the council wrote. "If the proposal were to receive any serious consideration, the number, size, and height of the buildings would need to be significantly reduced.

"The matter of a data center is not on the agenda of either the Plan Commission or the Town Council (at this time) and neither board is actively considering it."

Provident opted to withdraw the application rather than continue discussions.

Earlier this year, Provident sold a warehouse site in Dallas, Texas, to Powerhouse.

Amazon is planning a campus close to Chesterton in the neighboring town of Portage. The company is also developing another campus some 50 miles west of Chesterton in New Carlisle.