Committee Weighs $113M Tax Break for Data Center
Indianapolis lawmakers will debate a 10-year abatement for the developer of the DC Blox data center on the city's southeast side.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Data Centers
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The Metropolitan Development Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. to consider a $113 million tax abatement over 10 years for the developer of the DC Blox data center and adjacent building at Thunderbird Commerce Center. The committee can approve the abatement, alter it, or send it to the full council next month.
Why it matters
The abatement would apply to a $2 billion data center complex already cleared by zoning in July, after neighbors raised concerns about noise, lighting, and school tax revenue. The decision shapes how Indianapolis balances large tech investment against local tax and quality-of-life concerns.
The proposal is a 10-year, $113 million tax abatement tied to a $2 billion complex, while the site currently generates $37,000 in annual property taxes. Whether the committee will approve, alter, or forward the abatement has not been decided.
The players
DCB Indianapolis LLC
The developer behind the DC Blox data center and adjacent building at Thunderbird Commerce Center, which has doubled its community investment to $30 million.
Metropolitan Development Committee
A committee of the City-County Council that reviews development matters, including the proposed tax abatement for the DC Blox project.
The details
The developer, DCB Indianapolis LLC, doubled its community investment to $30 million, including $5 million earmarked for potential renovation of the Washington Square Mall property. The DC Blox site is the last large undeveloped parcel in the former Ford Visteon Plant footprint near English and Shadeland avenues.
Timeline
July: Metropolitan Development Commission approved zoning for the $2 billion complex.
November 9, 2026, 5:30 p.m.: Metropolitan Development Committee debates the $113 million abatement.
Next month: Full City-County Council vote if the committee sends the abatement forward.
Big Picture
The proposal follows the Metropolitan Development Commission's July zoning approval and moves the project into the tax-abatement stage that Indianapolis uses for large economic development projects. How the committee handles this request will set a precedent for how the city treats abatements for data center developers.
Residents near the southeast side site have raised concerns about noise and lighting, and the abatement decision will affect how much tax revenue flows to local schools. The outcome determines whether the city's tax base grows from the project or keeps the current $37,000 annual payment.
The takeaway
Large data center projects can bring significant investment but also trade off tax revenue and neighborhood impacts, so residents who want a say should watch the committee's decision and the council vote that follows.
What happens next
The Metropolitan Development Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on November 9, 2026, and could send the abatement to the full City-County Council next month.
Further reading
For more on how cities weigh these incentives, see Data Centers coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fox 59.
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