CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) — Some residents in Charlestown, Indiana, are sounding the alarm about a proposed data center development in a local industrial park.
QLEVR LLC's proposal is for a 3-megawatt data center on 12 acres of land in Clark County.
"I'm not surprised," neighbor Susan Wilcox said. "But I am pretty upset. It's obviously going to get louder and more crowded, and nobody wants that."
The $105 million project would build a 55,000-square-foot data center in the Shadow Lake Industrial Park on Cristiani Parkway. The proposal suggests construction could take 14 to 16 months.
"It's just not right to the people that live around here," neighbor Debbie Brown said. "We love it here. We just don't love what's going on around us."
Right now, Brown hears birds, wind and construction, with a project in the works at the end of her street. She fears the added noise from a data center will further disrupt her peace.
"At nighttime, you don't hear nothing. During the day, you hear all of the machinery," she said. "I don't like it. It's taking away from the country."
The proposal is moving through the review process. While Charlestown Mayor Treva Hodges said it's not a "large-scale" data center, city leaders are already asking questions about the project's potential utility usage and impact on the environment.
"If it does get approved, they will be paying all of their revenue," Hodges said. "They will not get any breaks on any of that."
Hodges said this development would not impact neighbors' property taxes. Additional documents show the data center won't contaminate water or soil in the area.
"We've been assured there will be no environmental impact," Hodges said. "But this one is a lot closer to a residential area, and I think that raises some red flags."
The company said it plans to initially use between 60,000 to 70,000 gallons of water in a closed circuit. It will then use about three to four homes worth of water each day.
The center would start with eight to 12 full-time jobs, with plans to hire more workers later. An economic development report shows 20 full-time jobs earning an average of $76,266 annually, once everything is up and running.
Residents living near the proposed site were mailed letters with information about the request on Tuesday. The details about the proposal were also posted in the city's Agenda Center on Wednesday.
"Take a deep breath," Hodges said. "Understand that this is not a done deal. There is time to respond and we want neighbors to respond."
Hodges said QLVER's owner agreed to delay a board decision on the proposal. The owner also said he is going to set up a neighborhood meeting where residents near the proposed data center can meet him and ask questions.
The date for that meeting has not been confirmed.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
