The Google data center being built on Fort Wayne’s far southeast side needs more land. And that includes wetlands.
While the data center is not yet operational, developers want to take nearly 10 additional acres of Class I and Class II wetlands for five new data center buildings plus other structures on what will become a permitted 585-acre site.
The initial proposal, approved in 2023, took about three and three-quarters acres in wetlands.
To offset the impact of the wetland destruction, developers plan to purchase about five acres in credits from the wetland mitigation bank. This requires that offsetting wetlands be created or restored on the site of the development or within the same county or watershed as the property in question.
The new request takes advantage of Indiana legislation passed in 2021 and 2024 that chipped away at watershed and wetland protections.
The proposal is open for public comment until Sept. 11, and a public hearing can also be requested until that date.
