An Indianapolis planning official on Thursday recommended approval for a zoning modification that would allow developers to proceed with the 250-megawatt, two-building facility on a 130-acre site
Developers and architects are teaming with the town of Cumberland and Indianapolis City-County Councilor Michael-Paul Hart for a study into the deteriorating retail center’s potential, the parties announced Wednesday.
Lewis, who previously served as council president from 2012 through 2017, succeeds Vop Osili, who announced his decision to step down from leadership in early December.
Five Indianapolis City-County Council members, including three from the mayor’s own party, called on Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign following an investigation into how his administration handled allegations of sexual harassment by the mayor’s former chief of staff.
Nearly six months ago, a Chicago law firm made a series of recommendations to the council aimed at making the city of Indianapolis a safer and better operation for its employees. Few of those recommendations have been implemented.
Vijay Kumar Vemulapalli, principal of Washington Square owner Durga Property Holdings, said he thinks the city of Indianapolis is issuing code violations in an attempt to force him to sell the property.
Council leaders say they want a third party to investigate human resources complaints at the City-County Building, but steps on how that would happen are far from being worked out.
A special meeting of the council next week will allow public comment regarding the recommendations, based on the results of an investigation into Mayor Joe Hogsett’s handling of harassment allegations within his administration.
In an op-ed for The Indianapolis Star on Thursday, Republican Councilor Michael-Paul Hart wrote that Hogsett has displayed a “pattern of corruption, negligence and lack of judgment.”
Nearly five months have passed since a report about the Hogsett administration’s handling of sexual harassment allegations was released. But the City-County Council is preparing to take more steps involving the investigation.
The request comes less than two weeks after the company informed the City-County Council that it intended to withdraw its proposal amid intense pushback from neighbors and some city leaders.
The proposed data center has faced widespread criticism from neighbors and local officials who have expressed concerns about the project’s environmental impact.
The proposal appears to have bipartisan support. But it’s unclear how much the City-County Council, which has no actual authority over the utility, can truly influence the process.
