WARSAW — The debate over whether to rezone 550 acres from agriculture to Industrial 3 that would have opened the door for a data center near Leesburg was rejected by the Kosciusko County Commissioners by a 3-0 vote on Tuesday morning.

[caption id="attachment_108766" align="alignright" width="279"] A few of the many opponents at Tuesday's meeting wore anti-data center caps. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The commissioners were given a unanimous recommendation against the rezoning from the area plan commission and heard more than an hour of debate Tuesday on the matter, for those and against.

The debate pitted whether to allow a massive data center that could generate upward of $30 million in tax revenue for the county against the desire by many residents to preserve the agricultural environment and way of life.

Many of those opposed to the plan said they were not opposed to the concept of a data center but were strongly opposed to the location, while the attorney for Prologis, Steve Snyder said the land northwest of Leesburg was the ideal location because of its proximity to a NIPSCO substation that connected three massive transmission lines.

He also discounted the idea offered by some that Prologis should find a new location and run electrical lines to it. He argued it would be expensive and incredibly time-consuming.

Snyder also pointed out that even if the rezoning was approved, the plan would still need approval for an exception by the county board of zoning appeals, which would review performance standards.

Attorney Jack Birch, representing those opposed to the rezoning, told the commissioners that the 8-0 Recommendation by the plan commission stood out as one of the most important considerations.

Two of the three commissioners, Cary Groninger and Sue Ann Mitchell, said they spent a lot of time researching the issue. They also said that otherwise they normally support economic development and business plans.

The location and public opinion seemed to carry a lot of weight.

"The rezoning of property should be denied because it's not a reasonable and prudent location for this type of development," Mitchell said.

"This unique, challenging project and the limitations and problems associated with the current proposed location have not been overcome by the petitioner. In light of these considerations, I concur with my fellow commissioners," Groninger said.

Bob Conley echoed the words of Valparaiso's mayor, where a similar plan was considered.

"Our citizens have spoken. Our area plan department has spoken, and now our county commissioners are speaking," he said.

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WARSAW -- It didn’t take long for the first sign of new development to surface after construction of the new Tippecanoe-Chapman Regional Sewer District began two weeks ago.

On Tuesday, the Kosciusko County Commissioners approved a recommendation from the area plan commission to rezone about 20 acres along Stanton Lake Road, just south of Tippecanoe Lake.

Tuesday’s approval is the major step but how many homes could be constructed is still unclear, said Area Plan Commission Plan Director Matt Sandy.

The request by the Ransbottom family to rezone the land from agriculture to residential was unanimously approved by the commissioners and follows a unanimous recommendation from the area plan commission.

The only opposition came from one resident who express concern about whether Stanton Lake Road can handle the increased traffic.

The move comes two weeks after construction began on the new sewer district that will serve customers around ncd Chapman and Tippecane lakes.

The area represents one of the biggest residential lake areas in the state that still is without sewer service.

Sandy said he believes there is a connection between the two events.

“If I had to take a guess, almost totally, it's the sewer. Without sewer, lot density is a lot higher, soils become more of a factor -- so sewer really opens the door for this to happen,” Sandy said.

Construction of sewers will continue into 2024. Nearly all residents in the area have signed agreements to participate.

Officials have predicted the availability of sewers would open the door for more development.

"This is what we anticipated seeing and we're probably going to see more of it around Chapman and Tippy," he said.

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