Notes for April 2 Meeting – Data Center Petition 2025-CZN-814 / 2025-CVR-814 

• Cathy Burton, Franklin Township Land Use Chair, will request a continuance. 
• New Date for Hearing – May 15 
• Next FT Land Use Meeting – April 16 – This petition is set for 6:30 p.m. The attorney will be present. 

As of Monday, March 31, staff had not taken a position. The City Planner said not all of the information the staff requested has been submitted yet. 

Franklin Township Land Use Committee has not taken a position on this Petition. Questions were presented to the Attorney, but have not been addressed to date. 54 Questions Submitted on behalf of the neighbors. 

Steps for the Petition Hearing Process: 

• Hearing Examiner Petition for Rezone and Variance Hearing – May 15 
• Held at the City-County Building Downtown Indianapolis 
• Parking is not easy and you must arrive by 1:00 p.m. even if the Petition is not scheduled to be heard first – plan to be there all afternoon 
• Hearing Examiner will hear from the Petitioner (attorney) for 15 minutes and remonstrators can speak in opposition for 15 minutes. Note that it is 15 minutes total – so we need to be prepared and strategic to have one or two speakers on behalf of those in opposition, ensuring all items of concern are presented in a timely and organized fashion. Tip – it is okay to be emotional, but stick to the findings of fact as to why the Petitions for Rezone and Variance should be denied. 
• 5 minutes for rebuttal for each side. The examiner will ask staff what their recommendation is, and the Hearing Examiner will state their position for the Petition. 
• If you have handouts or a slide presentation, please confirm with City Planner how many sets of copies you will need to provide. If you have slides, you will need to send them ahead of time or have them on a USB drive to give to the staff to project on the screen. 
• It is important to have a strong presence even if not testifying in opposition as it will be asked for those opposed to stand. Having a large group is a strong visual. 
• Added note: A City-County Councilor can speak for an unlimited time if they so choose to speak. Neighbors can contact their City-County Councilor and ask if they have taken a position and if they would speak in opposition. 
• If those in opposition do not agree with the decision, they can file for an appeal. You have a specified timeframe to file for appeal, so it is essential to ensure that it is filed within this timeframe. The City Planner can assist with the process for filing the appeal. 
• If you file an appeal, the Petition will be heard before the Metropolitan Development Commission at their monthly meeting – the City Planner can provide the date. You will go to the City-County Building again. The process is similar to the Hearing Examiner Hearing – Petitioner speaks first, 15 minutes / Opposition speaks, 15 minutes. 
• 5 minutes for rebuttal for each side. MDC will call for a vote. 
• If the Vote is in favor of the Petition, the only course of action for those opposing is to ask the City-County Councilor to call it down to be heard by the full City-County Council. This is at the discretion of the City County Councilor and is most likely not to happen. 

Please note that if you maintain open communication with the attorney for the Petitioner and have commitments you would like to include in the rezone petition, you can negotiate these commitments as a trade-off for not opposing the petition. The Petitioner may not agree to them, but it never hurts to ask. 

As a community, you need to ask yourself what you want to see and what you don’t want to see in this area.

Please send any further questions to info@protectft.com regarding the petition, photos of flooding, and further details.