Residents in Bristol, Indiana, are voicing concerns about an upcoming data center project.

During a September 5 meeting hosted by the Bristol Town Council, dozens of community members voiced their dissatisfaction with the development, reports Goshen News Indiana.

The data center is proposed for the northside of CR 23, around 1,875 feet north of CR 14 in Washington Township and the land is currently used for agricultural purposes.

Christine Truee Wilhelm, represented by Pinnacle Properties, is seeking to rezone 247.2 acres of land to develop a data center campus. Planning Commission Staff recommended approval of the project on August 8.

During a presentation by Tim Ramm of Pinnacle Properties, the data centers were described as "a series of buildings, either one or two stories, with a concrete or steel frame."

Approximately 800,000 to 1.2 million square feet of data center space would be constructed, with the capex investment reaching around $1bn for 1 million sq ft, and $23m in annual tax generation for Bristol.

Pre-empting concerns, Pinnacle added that generators will be housed in an enclosure to reduce sound, noting that the industry standard is currently for testing generators around 30 minutes per month. Additionally, because of the large size of the site, there will be a physical separation from neighbors, and the developer can use buffers for further noise reduction.

Gensler and Jones Petrie Rafinski (JPR) are the architectural and engineering firms working on the project, but an end user for the campus has yet to be named.

Despite reassurances, several residents voiced concerns.

Lester Otto argued: "How can you make a proper decision not knowing who or what is coming into town?"

Others voiced concerns about the impact it could have on their property values. Standard issues surrounding noise impact and water use were also noted, though Pinnacle has argued that the expected sound level at the edge of the property is expected to be around 75 decibels, and Mark Kerslake of Province Group noted that it would use around 100,000 gallons per day - "very similar to an industrial or manufacturing type of use."

Ken Jones of JPR added that the town is currently working on a water and sewer upgrade project that will help it handle such a development.

The proposal was previously submitted in January 2024, but was turned down by a planning commission. At the time, the developer committed to neighbors that it would provide a detailed plan for the next application.

The planning commission's recommendation for approval is conditional on the development being a data center development, should the project fall through, new rezoning will need to be sought.

A second reading will be held at the September 19 meeting in which the public will again be able to comment. Following that, the council will vote on the project.

Bristol is a town within the Washington Township in Indiana. The state has a relatively small data center market, with Data Center Map listing 38 facilities - the majority of which are in the Indianapolis and South Bend areas - the latter just west of Bristol.

Operators in South Bend include CBTS, Microsoft, Global Access Point, Lumen, and Colostore among others.

Microsoft is also developing a $1bn data center in La Porte, Northwest Indiana.