An $832 million data center is planned in LaPorte County.
The Indiana Economic Development Commission board approved tax incentives for Project Maize at its second quarter board meeting last month.
The IEDC said a hyperscale data center dubbed Project Maize planned to set up shop in LaPorte County after finalizing talks and negotiations with local officials. The unidentified company plans to invest $832 million and create 30 new jobs by 2034.
The IEDC, formerly the Indiana Department of Commerce, approved a 35-year data center sales tax exemption as a reward for the investment and job creation. It could extend the tax breaks for up to three five-year terms if there's additional capital investment.
The data center operator is expected to reap $42 million in tax breaks over the 35-year exemption.
Last month, the Michigan City Council also approved an economic revitalization area at the former Anco plant at 402 Royal Road. Economic Development Corp. Michigan City Director Clarence Hulse said at the council meeting that the economic development agency was working on an "unusually large" redevelopment project at the site of the factory, which was built in 1960 and renovated last year by owner Phoenix Investors.
Hulse declined to comment further, citing a non-disclosure agreement.
Michigan City Council member Donald Przybylinkski said a data center had been proposed for the site.
Randy Palmateer, the business manager of the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, said it would be a major project that would mean a lot of work for the skilled trades.
"This is all advanced. It's putting in cooling and heating systems. It's specialized niche work that brings more ancillary development," Palmateer said. "It's not just slapping a roof up. Data centers bring a lot of jobs."
Microsoft is investing $1 billion in a new data center in LaPorte County in the largest private-sector investment in the city's history. Amazon Web Services plans to build an $11 billion data center and hire 1,000 workers in neighboring New Carlisle. Jones Lang LaSalle, a Chicago-based global real estate firm, projects more than $30 billion in data centers will be developed in coming years.
Several proposed data centers have met resistance from residents in communities like Chesterton, Burns Harbor, Valparaiso and unincorporated Porter County.
The Digital Crossroads data center in Hammond had a daily construction payroll of between $800,000 to $1 million, Palmateer said.
"It's a lot of money from these projects going to local union workers and the community," he said. "It's a lot of jobs."
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