Data Center Planned For Old Hammond Generating Plant
An attorney from Indianapolis and a data center mogul from New York City are looking to build a major data center in Lake County. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report Tom Dakich and Peter Feldman plan to invest $40 million to construct the proposed Indiana NAP data center at the site of the former State Line Generating Plant in Hammond.
Dakich and Feldman said they learned about the site because of its focus in the region’s failed bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, according to the publication. The developers say the project would create an estimated 250 construction jobs and would include a tech incubator, a renewable energy campus and a greenhouse for Purdue University Northwest.
The project could include three buildings totaling 400,000 square feet, but would have the opportunity to grow to 1 million square feet and up to $200 million in investment. The developers say the first phase of the project would include a 105,000-square-foot site in about 12 acres.
"We’re not going to jump in the pool and build a million square feet right away," Dakich told The Times. "We’re going to build as we grow so we don’t overdevelop. It’s built to suit the market. … We’re not anticipating getting a huge customer. We’re looking at slow and steady growth that will build on itself. Maybe if we can get a big customer we can accelerate the process, but our business plan is conservative and projects slow and steady growth."
The developers say the renewable energy campus would include solar panels and wind turbines that would help trim energy costs. The greenhouse would allow Purdue Northwest students the opportunity to conduct agribusiness research and the tech incubator, which was a request of Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, would allow startups to lease space and could be managed by a local university.
You can read more in The Times of Northwest Indiana.