Editor, Times-Union:
The county commissioners are going to be voting on a 554-acre heavy industrial rezoning request. Let me be clear: The Area Plan Commission already reviewed the Prologis data center project, exercised zoning scoring, and unanimously shot it down. Now it’s on you to finish the job and protect the Leesburg community from a reckless land grab that threatens our way of life.
This isn’t just about some real-estate company and a tech company’s profit margins — it’s about the soul of Kosciusko County. The Plan Commission heard the voices of over 100 residents, packed into the courthouse, and nearly 2,000 signatures on the “Keep Leesburg Rural” petition. They recognized that turning prime farmland into an industrial sprawl isn’t progress; it’s a betrayal of our heritage and a slap in the face to the farmers, families, and Amish communities who call this place home. It would be wise to listen to that same outcry. Do not chase vague promises of tax dollars that might never materialize while cutting annual state sales tax revenue of nearly $7 million.
Prologis wants to bulldoze 554 acres of flat, fertile, and irreplaceable farmland for a data center. What does that look like? The data center will consume over 725 megawatts of energy. Our current transmission lines may not be enough, they may require even more massive power lines … all at the expense of farmland. Prologis is dangling $35.8 million in tax revenue over 20 years like it’s a golden ticket, but what is the cost? What about the personal property tax credit for 90% of the cost of the equipment for upwards of 50 years? What about the noise, light pollution, and a wrecked rural landscape for generations. Once this land is gone, it’s gone forever — no amount of money can grow crops on concrete.
The Plan Commission called this spot zoning. I’m sure there is more acreage close by that could be purchased for solar arrays and a battery storage system. That would turn this 554-acre farmland loss into 800 acres or more. This is all about Prologis’ profit.
I realize you are not bound by the Plan Commission’s rejection, but you should be bound by common sense and the will of the people you serve. It’s not right to accept this project, especially when it is this disruptive and discriminatory. If you vote “yes,” you’re opening the floodgates for every developer to follow suit. Rural Kosciusko and our farmland will be taken until there’s nothing left.
I respectfully ask you to:
1. Respect the Plan Commission’s unanimous decision and vote no on April 22.
2. Stand up for the residents and voters who entrusted in you. Voters have made it crystal clear they don’t want this.
3. Prove you’re not just rubber-stamping corporate agendas — put Kosciusko County first.
I’m watching closely, and so are others.
Jamie M. Moneyheffer
Leesburg, via email