Final plat approval for the massive Amazon Web Services data center project is on hold until the Hobart Plan Commission is satisfied with minor revisions to requested site improvements.
The Plan Commission tabled action on final plat approval at its Sept. 4 meeting, with the expectation of a favorable recommendation at its October meeting. The project has already received preliminary plat approval.
According to Hobart City Engineer Alex Metz, the revisions include recording a legal description for a dedicated of a right-of-way involving a new pedestrian walkway around of the perimeter of the development, primarily along 61st Avenue and connecting to the local neighborhood.
Final plat approval concerns two separate parcels of land. A 555-acre parcel, located south of 61st, east of Colorado Street and north of 69th Avenue, known as Hobart Tech Park, which is owned by Amazon Web Services. The other parcel, described as the Ewen Farm property, encompasses 168 acres and is located southeast of 61 st and Arizona Street. That parcel will be leased by Amazon Web Services from the current owner, Metz said.
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Once final plat approval is granted, the Plan Commission will have effectively completed its involvement in the project, according to Plan Commission President David Vinzant.
He noted that a variety of work has begun that the 723-acre site, such as grading of the land and development of temporary buildings used by construction workers and engineers, as well as the building of a permanent NIPSCO substation.
Vinzant praised the effort to shield the local community from the development, such as the ongoing construction of earthen “park-like” berms around the property to improve aesthetics and minimize sound.
“They (Amazon) have agreed to everything we’ve asked them to do,” he said. The data center facility will have 26 buildings spread out across the two sites, with six at the 61st Avenue location and 20 at the Colorado Street location.
The city’s engineering and building departments will continue to monitor the operation to ensure Amazon is functioning within city ordinances and regulations. Additionally, the Hobart Board of Public Works and Safety signed a professional services agreement with TSC Facility Services, a subsidiary of Merrillville’s Skillman Corp., to oversee construction and handle the day-to-day operations, including deliveries, traffic flow, communications and residents’ complaints.
Mayor Josh Huddlestun previously described TSC’s impact as a “City Hall 2.0 on site… a quarterback on the field at all times.”
Public discord has intensified over the project this year, including a raucous five-hour Plan Commission meeting in May where preliminary plat approval was granted. One person was reportedly arrested at the meeting. Conversely, the board’s Sept. 4 meeting was lightly attended with no members of the public speaking.
Vinzant believes that community’s temperature over the issue has decreased as Huddlestun has shared more benefits of the data center project to residents. For example, Hobart homeowners can receive up to $10,000 from the city for exterior energy-saving projects such as roofs, gutters, siding and windows, and up to $5,000 for interior projects. The funding is made possible by an upfront payment of $47 million
from Amazon to the city.
One remaining critical issue involves an air permit application, which the Ramboll engineering firm filed with Indiana Department of Environmental Management on Amazon’s behalf on July 24. According to the permit application, the facility would have 808 fuel storage tanks, storing more than 5.46 million gallons of diesel fuel.
At the 61st Avenue location, Amazon plans to build 170 emergency backup diesel generators. Amazon also plans 612 emergency backup generators at the Colorado Street facility, with the total power capacity combined for both sites is 2,119 megawatts.
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Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.