Residents and members of the No Data Center 502 organization gathered outside Metro Hall in Louisville to express concerns about a proposed hyperscale data center on Campground Road in the city’s Rubbertown neighborhood.

Concerns and Proposals

The proposed campus, to be built on over 150 acres of land, is being developed by PowerHouse Data Centers and Poe Companies. According to the developer’s website, the campus would strengthen the local economy, generate significant tax revenue, and create long-term jobs.

However, some neighbors who live near the site are worried about the project’s impact on the community. ‘We feel like hyperscale data centers are going to have a negative effect on the community and the health of those who don’t have equal access to healthcare,’ said Nina Powell.

In a statement, Mayor Craig Greenberg’s office said that the mayor’s proposal to ban all new hyperscale data centers indicates his stance on the issue. The project was permitted under existing regulations in an area already zoned for heavy industrial use.

Call for Transparency

Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright said residents still need more clarity from the mayor. ‘It’s important for him to speak up on where he stood with this, how he was connected to it, to give people that transparency that he always promises,’ Parrish-Wright said.

Parrish-Wright also emphasized the need for additional steps, including more direct public engagement and outreach to other cities that have faced similar proposals. ‘I think we could learn from sister cities on what they were able to do to stop these from happening or at least delay or mitigate the harms,’ she said.

Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.