Industrial real estate giant Prologis is advancing plans for a large-scale data center campus in Shelbyville, Indiana, signaling another step in the company’s growing push into digital infrastructure development.
According to filings first reported by local media, Prologis is seeking to develop a campus comprising up to 13 data center buildings on land east of the State Road 44 and Interstate 74 interchange, roughly 30 miles southeast of Indianapolis. The site would encompass approximately 576 acres once newly proposed parcels are annexed and combined with land already within city limits.
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The annexation request, submitted by Lorm LLC and Alisha Clay, covers more than a dozen parcels totaling 429 acres, which are currently zoned for agricultural or single-family residential use. If approved, the land would be annexed into Shelbyville and rezoned General Industrial, clearing the way for large-scale development. Prologis has not yet identified an end user for the site.
“We see an opportunity to use existing industrial land and infrastructure to support Shelbyville’s future, including the digital infrastructure that communities and businesses increasingly rely on,” JC Witt, Prologis SVP of data center investments, told Fox. “Our focus is on job creation and being a responsible, long-term partner.”
City planning documents describe the proposed site as “ideal for industrial development,” citing its proximity to existing infrastructure and the presence of two Duke Energy transmission lines running through the property. The development is expected to incorporate closed-loop cooling systems designed to reduce overall water usage, a growing priority in large data center projects.
Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson said the proposal aligns with the city’s broader economic vision.
“Shelbyville is focused on growing in a way that makes sense for our community over the long term,” Furgeson said in a statement reported by the Addison Times.
The Shelbyville Plan Commission and City Council are scheduled to discuss the proposal at meetings later this week.
Despite support from city staff, the project is already drawing resistance from residents. More than 2,100 people have signed a Change.org petition opposing the development, citing concerns over land use, community character, and potential environmental impacts.
“This initiative seems to be prioritizing economic gains over the health and safety of our community,” the petition states. “The transformation of this land for commercial and industrial use does not reflect the voice and interests of Shelbyville's residents who cherish our city's present charm and sense of connectedness.”
Prologis has steadily expanded its presence in the data center sector in recent years, leveraging both existing industrial landholdings and newly acquired greenfield sites. The company says it currently has approximately 5.2GW of power capacity either committed by utilities or in advanced negotiations, with a long-term goal of reaching up to 10GW over the next decade.
Its current and planned data center developments span Illinois, Virginia, Georgia, California, and Texas, as well as Paris, France. While Prologis previously explored a project in Indiana’s Kosciusko County, the company confirmed it is no longer pursuing that development. More recently, it acquired land outside Cincinnati, Ohio, for another potential data center site.
If approved, the Shelbyville campus would mark a significant addition to Indiana’s growing digital infrastructure landscape, further reinforcing the Midwest’s role in supporting hyperscale and enterprise data center demand.
Originally reported by Dan Swinhoe in Data Center Dynamics.
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