Metrobloks seeks to build data center in Indianapolis’ Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood

INDIANAPOLIS — Metrobloks, a California-based technology company, is aiming to build a data center in Indianapolis.

Metrobloks has indicated that it is hoping to rezone a 15-acre parcel of land located in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood on the near northeast side of Indianapolis. The land has previously housed a trucking facility and railyard.

The land Metrobloks has its sights set on it located along Massachusetts Avenue and Sherman Drive. According to Metrobloks, its proposed facility will not heavily affect traffic in the area, as fleets of daily delivery trucks will not be required for facility operation like some other industrial buildings.

Metrobloks also expects the data center to inject about $10 million in revenues associated with new construction into the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. The tech company reported that its proposed data center will be aesthetically pleasing and feature architectural landscaping and greenery. Metrobloks is also planning to commission local artists to create murals on the property.

A one-page information sheet Metrobloks provided to FOX59/CBS4 highlights solutions to questions residents have when they live near proposed data center sites:

Water

• Data center will use closed-loop cooling, which is filled once and reused continuously
• Data center is expected to use less water than most homes
• Data center will not draw groundwater from the neighborhood that surrounds it
• Data center will use 3,325 gallons of water per year, where the average U.S. warehouse uses up to 2.3 million gallons per year
• Data center’s closed-loop cooling system will require an initial water draw of 66,500 gallons

Energy

• Metrobloks will pay for energy upgrades needed to operate the data center
• Local residents will not be subjected to energy subsidies under Metrobloks’ current plan
• Grid improvements made by Metrobloks may benefit the entire neighborhood, not just the data center

Noise and air

• Data center expected to generate less than 50 weighted decibels of sound, which is similar to most home appliances
• Backup generators expected to produce up to 90% less pollution than a typical school bus
• Data center will be cleaner than industrial site that currently sits on site Metrobloks is after

“Metrobloks does not develop hyperscale data centers,” company officials wrote in a prepared statement sent to FOX59/CBS4. “Instead, our data center is smaller, more efficient, and designed to fit the local grid and neighborhood, not overwhelm it. Metrobloks is committed to being a good neighbor and developing responsibly, without putting pressure on local water or power resources. Our facilities are designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind, using advanced technologies that minimize environmental impact.”

According to its website, Metrobloks’ vision is “to build the digital foundation for the future, bringing critical infrastructure closer to people, businesses and communities.” The company’s website also indicates Metrobloks is “committed to delivering sustainable, scalable and future-ready data centers that empower innovations, enable AI and unlock growth in underserved metro markets.”

The information Metrobloks sent FOX59/CBS4 does not indicate exactly how much the company expects construction of its data center to cost. FOX59/CBS4 did obtain the following renderings of the facility:

Facility renderings courtesy of Metrobloks.

Metrobloks’ data center is hardly the first facility of its kind that has been proposed in Indiana. Google had been attempting to rezone 460 acres of land in Franklin Township in Indianapolis for a data center. Google withdrew its proposal for that data center in September.

Google is also attempting to build a data center on 390 acres of land in Morgan County. A Morgan County planning commission has voted to recommend rezoning of the land for the development, and additional details about the project are expected to be unveiled soon.

Data centers have also been proposed in Hendricks and Henry counties.

Metrobloks has submitted an application for the land rezoning it needs to build its proposed data center in Martindale-Brightwood. The current status of the rezoning proposal is currently unknown.