INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A potential data center eyed for the near-east side of Indianapolis could breathe new life into a long-vacant property.

Weeds have taken the place of Hollywood movies as the sights visitors are likely to see at the site of the former Sherman Drive-In theater in the historic Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. 

A community meeting to share information will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Frederick Douglass Park Family Center, 1616 E. 25th St.

The drive-in opened in 1965 and shut down in June 1983. Today, the empty lot at 2505 N. Sherman Ave. is immediately surrounded by an auto shop, a trucking school, and a half-filled shopping mall.  

But, there’s potential for a “huge” transformational investment said Indianapolis City-County Councilor Rob Gibson. The Democrat has been in discussions with an attorney for a West Coast tech company considering a data center at the site.

Gibson said, “There are so many good people who live here, and they deserve a community that has grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, safety, a future.

He said the data center is far from a done deal. The Indianapolis Business Journal has reported the company is Metrobloks. 

According to its website, Metrobloks is eyeing urban areas across the country for smaller-scale data centers. The Sherman Drive-In property itself is only 13 acres.

The owner of Hart’s Auto, which neighbors the property, said he hasn’t been approached to sell his land to make room for a larger development, but told I-Team 8 he would take an offer.

Gibson said, after talking to the company’s attorney, he’s withholding support until he thinks community leaders are satisfied with the level of investment committed and environmental protections. “A lot of industry was here at one point and left a lot of brownfields and a lot of hazardous environmental concerns. Local leaders want to make sure that will never happen here again.”

The councilor believes the size of the project, being significantly smaller than Google’s controversial data center site proposed in Franklin Township, could help garner local support. 

Longtime Indianapolis resident Valerie Jones wants to see investment in the neighborhood, but isn’t sure if a data center is the type of investment neighbors need. “I think I would like to see a more variety of stores here than a data center here.”

Gibson believes the data center could be a first step. “Let’s try to work on attracting and retaining more quality businesses in Martindale-Brightwood that grows our neighborhoods, makes sure we can stay in our houses longer. I believe that this proposed data center could possibly do that.” 

The councilor said, to his knowledge, an agreement isn’t in place to purchase the property yet.

Indy Economic Development Inc. said it hasn’t received a request for incentives.

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