LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – West Louisville residents are sounding the alarm after the city’s planning commission is allowing developers to go forward with building a data center in the neighborhood.
This data center is planned to go in the 6000 block of Camp Ground Road, an area that is already home to lots of industrial buildings.
The company behind the project says on its website that sustainability and responsible construction are high priorities. Still, West Louisville residents and metro councilmembers told WAVE they feel the development is coming at their expense.
“We only get information down here in the west end when it’s already in progress to be done,” said resident George Fields.
One concern is how the center will impact the environment and residents’ well-being.
“We need to get chemicals out of our air, out of our sewage drains,” said Fields.
Another concern residents cited is the center’s economic impact.
“I keep hearing threats of noise pollution, water and bills going up. That’s my main concern, I do not need my bills going up any higher than they are,” said resident Kenneth Wheatley.
Wheatley said he has lived in West Louisville for 40 or 50 years. In that time, he’s seen the industrialization in his neighborhood just continue to grow.
“This communications center, and the warehouses…they’re going up everywhere,” said Wheatley.
The Louisville Metro Planning Commission approved a development plan for the center last week.
The company behind the project, PowerHouse Data Centers, plans for the center to sit on more than 150 acres, with multiple warehouses on its campus.
The campus would have a capacity of 525 megawatts, causing LG&E to add new infrastructure to accommodate it.
“There’s not a whole lot that council can do,” said Donna Purvis, metro councilmember for District 5.
Purvis told WAVE she doesn’t agree with the data center being built in a community that already is at a disadvantage in a lot of ways. But, because the land is already zoned properly for it, council had no say in the matter.
“I’m gonna have to tell, you know, the senior citizen that’s living on a fixed income, ‘hey, your electricity bill is gonna increase because you are paying for the operation of a data center,’” Purvis said.
Although she feels her hands are tied, Purvis has a message for those who have had the power to let the project move forward.
“Ask yourself, ‘Are you happy with what you continue to do to this community?’” she said.
PowerHouse Data Centers and Poe Companies are the companies behind the project.
WAVE reached out to both for comment and have yet to hear back.
Developers hope to start operations at the center at the end of this year.
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