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Data centers in Jefferson County, Indiana: 1 project mapped
A data center of about 7.1 million square feet, nine buildings in all, is planned on 549 acres of the old airfield at the former Jefferson Proving Ground, off U.S. 421 just outside Madison. The Ford family, which bought 3,600 acres of the old Army testing ground in 1995, wants to sell the land for it; the company that would build and run it has not been named. The county's Board of Zoning Appeals upheld the building permit on May 20, 2026.
County zoning does not define data centers, so the zoning office treated the project as industrial warehousing on heavy industrial land and issued a permit on February 25, 2026, with no public notice required. Neighbor Deborah Jones appealed. On May 20 the Board of Zoning Appeals heard about five and a half hours of testimony at the fairgrounds before ruling. Dean Ford said the company "will rebuild the roads, rebuild the sewer, rebuild water" and create 300 to 450 jobs, and the family says it could bring more than $60 million a year in taxes.
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The County Council has approved an Economic Revitalization Area at the site. Jefferson County Concerned Citizens has packed county meetings and is asking for a moratorium. Spokesperson Jill Koren said that when "you look at the facts that they're stating or not stating, and those things just do not add up." Council President Dwayne May asked: "If we get a lot of tax benefits, but your utility bill goes up 50 to 100 percent, are we any better off?"
The land carries a history: the Army took it in 1940, moving more than 2,000 people off their farms, some with 30 days' notice, and test-fired millions of rounds there until 1995. Much of it is now the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, and parts remain restricted because of unexploded shells and contamination.
Data center projects on record in Jefferson County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Madison1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Proving Ground Data CenterMadisonExact site not confirmed | Ford family (landowner; operator not named) | Proposed | Not reported |
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Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.