DC Blox Proposes $2 Billion 78 MW Data Center Campus
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Marin Holt
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- 5 minutes read
- Project Cost: $2 billion
- Electricity Draw: 78 megawatts
- Campus Size: 150-acre
- Number of Buildings: three-building
- Projected Full-Time Employees: 35 full-time staff
DC Blox, a Georgia-based data center developer, presented a $2 billion three-building data center campus in Warren Township on May 21, 2026, where dozens of residents pushed back on the proposal, WFYI Public Radio reported on May 22. The 150-acre campus would draw up to 78 megawatts of electricity and include 56 backup generators on the corner of South Kitley Avenue and the Pennsy Trail in Indianapolis on a former Ford factory brownfield site.
The Project
The development would be built in two phases comprising three buildings totaling up to 420,000 square feet, projected to employ approximately 35 full-time staff once fully built. DC Blox Senior Vice President of Sales David Armistead stated the company plans a 65-decibel sound profile and a closed-loop water-cooling system at the site. DC Blox committed to annual contributions to the Parks Alliance of Indianapolis for Pennsy Trail stewardship for at least five years, plus utility-upgrade costs and a local-union labor commitment. The proposal heads to the Metropolitan Development Commission’s hearing examiner on June 11, 2026.
Why It Matters
The DC Blox application lands during an active push by Indianapolis to write its first dedicated data-center zoning rules, Axios Indianapolis reported on May 1, 2026. Marion County is one of more than 10 US jurisdictions to consider moratoriums or restrictions on new data centers in May 2026, joining Denver, Cave City KY, Reno, Cumberland County NC, Cheyenne, Seattle, Jackson MS, and Hill County TX. Indiana ranks among the top 15 US states by announced data-center load in 2026 forecasts.
Critical Perspective
Neither DC Blox nor WFYI has disclosed the specific utility serving the proposed campus, the interconnection-queue position with AES Indiana or MISO, the per-server-rack power density target, or the timeline for the 56 backup generators to be sited and permitted under federal Title V air-permit rules. DC Blox has not stated whether onsite generation or a behind-the-meter gas plant is part of the 78 MW supply plan, nor the per-day water-makeup rate for the closed-loop system. Resident Daisy Cook raised concerns about water pollution and “forever chemicals” in the proposed closed-loop systems, the WRTV reporting stated.
