Data Centers in the right location can offer considerable benefits to Merrillville
The Town of Merrillville could see a major tech investment, bringing the potential for significant opportunities in The Heart of the Region. At its initial meeting Monday, Merrillville’s newly formed Data Center Citizen Advisory Committee delved into a wide range of topics, ultimately endorsing a proposed data center campus on 101st Avenue.
Karis Critical is among several companies that have approached Merrillville about possibly building data centers. Karis is pursuing a project that could have as many as nine buildings on nearly 180 acres of property on 101st Avenue, east of Deep River. Each building could cost $100 million.
The Advisory Committee, which includes nine residents, several town officials, and other development professionals, covered various areas such as possible economic benefits, employment opportunities, noise, power consumption, backup generators, and safety measures. Committee members conducted their research and asked Karis Critical representative’s questions directly. The panel concluded that it supported the proposed project.
I am incredibly pleased with the turnout and our citizens’ engagement level at our initial meeting. Their preparation and thoughtful participation were invaluable. We addressed many common concerns and misconceptions surrounding data centers, and it became evident that many of these fears have already been mitigated through modern data center design advancements.
Karis representatives sought a zone change for the almost 180-acre site to accommodate the development. Before it can proceed, the project also requires planned unit development approval from the Plan Commission and power authorization from NIPSCO. The Town Council, at the September 10, 2024, meeting, approved the zoning change needed to use the land site for a data center.
Brett Rogers, Karis’ CIO/Head of Data Centers offered this comment for our press release: “We are so thankful for the Town of Merrillville allowing us to participate in this advisory committee – it is very rare for a town to show this level of passion and engagement in the process, and we are so excited to continue moving this transformative project forward. It is a testament to what makes Merrillville a leader in Northwest Indiana. We are optimistic that we can solve the power story on this project in the near term to really unlock a promising development in Merrillville – especially given our site’s existing infrastructure.”
My fellow Town Council member and the Redevelopment Commission President Shawn Pettit commented: “I’m very excited with the investment. It’s a low-impact/high-reward development for the Town of Merrillville. It will also create job opportunities for the Merrillville residents, which is always a priority for myself and the rest of the Town Council.”
Longtime Plan Commission member Brian Dering noted that the Karis project could generate $1 million in annual property tax revenue per building. He also emphasized that data centers would have a minimal impact on town services.
“Once again, the Town of Merrillville and our governmental leaders played host to a diverse group of concerned citizens, developers, educators, industry professionals, and planners–as well as business owners, and our police and fire protection professionals–to help chart another path forward for our town in one of the fastest growing industries: information storage,” Dering said. “In the 21st century, data centers have shown immense growth and investment in other parts of the country and have proven to be good neighbors to their communities. Now, Merrillville has the opportunity to lead the way forward by adding this valuable resource here in Northwest Indiana.”
I will support data centers when presented in the right location so they have little or no impact on residential or neighboring retail/commercial businesses. This particular one will be set back off of 101st Avenue and has a suitable footprint for this development.
A different developer presented another project, but it would have been located near neighborhoods with 75-foot-tall buildings. That project has since been pulled from consideration, but it would not have had my backing anyway. Location is key to these high-tech developments. The Town Council will be very cautious when approached about data centers. -Rick Bella, Town Council President & Ward 5 Representative