The location of Google’s Fort Wayne data center as of 2024, at 6015 Adams Ctr Rd., Fort Wayne. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved a petition from the tech giant to build the second phase of its data center campus over two acres of wetland. Photo from Google Maps.

News Release

FORT WAYNE — Google has received state approval to build on nearly 2.5 acres of wetlands as part of the second phase of its $2 billion data center campus in Allen County.

The approval allows construction over 2.44 acres of regulated wetlands in exchange for Google purchasing four acres of wetlands mitigation credit in another part of the county. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued the permit Tuesday, Sept. 16, clearing the way for contractors to continue development at E. Paulding and 6015 Adams Center roads.

The project’s second phase will see five additional data center buildings built. Developers said completely avoiding wetlands was not feasible, though some areas will remain untouched. The permit gives Google two years to finish construction on the affected site.

The project covers about 860 acres and is billed as a major hub for Google Cloud and artificial intelligence services. The first phase, previously approved, already allowed the company to build over 3.6 acres of wetlands. With the latest authorization, the total impact will reach more than six acres.

To offset the loss, IDEM is requiring Google to fund wetland restoration in Eel River Township. Such mitigation credits are standard practice in large-scale developments.

Unlike a recent Amazon project in New Carlisle, IDEM did not hold a public hearing, though it received dozens of written comments opposing the permit.