After a vote for an unfavorable recommendation failed, the Lake County Plan Commission sent a Lowell data center proposal to the county council with no recommendation.
The commission voted to move forward without a recommendation at its Wednesday night meeting in a 5-3 vote. Commission members Ken Huseman, Jim Metro, Rebecca Koetz, Christina Miller and Paul Panczuk voted for no recommendation, while President Bill Emerson and members Randy Niemeyer and Frank Kalvaitis voted against it. Commission Vice President Jerry Tippy was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.
The plan commission can vote to either give a favorable, unfavorable or no recommendation — a neutral outcome — to the Lake County Council, which will have the final say on the Eagle Creek Township rezone for the proposed Project Shirley data center.
More than 100 people attended the plan commission’s meeting, which was held in an auditorium at the Lake County Government Center, and 21 people spoke during public comment — the overwhelming majority opposed a data center development.
“My husband, Nick, and I live with our children about one mile from the proposed data center,” said Katy Horst, a Hebron resident. “The project presents primary environmental risks that could significantly damage our woodland and therefore our property value.”
Horst continued to say that she has water concerns because the data center would be connected to Singleton Ditch, which could put a strain on sandy, loamy soils at Horst’s property and compromise the health of her shallow-rooted trees. She also has concerns about long-term heat and moisture stress that can impact forest health and tree canopy stability.
“We believe this rezoning fails statutory standards and creates substantial environmental and economic risks to our property,” Horst said. “We respectfully request denial of this rezoning petition until comprehensive, cumulative review of Eagle Creek Township has been completed.”
In December, the commission heard an initial presentation about a proposed data center about six miles away from Lowell High School, according to Post-Tribune archives. New York-based Sentinel Data Centers — represented by local attorney David Westland — plans to build a data center on about 160 acres of land, on the south side of Indiana 2 and east of Clay Street.
If the project were to be built, the land would have to change from an A1 agricultural zone to M1 light industrial, which the Lake County Council has final say on.
More Top Picks Winix 9500
“It’s been quite a process,” Westland said Wednesday. “We started this process in December with a study session, an initial public hearing in February, and, at the request of the public, we held a town hall last month, in April. Now we’re here tonight for a continued public hearing.”
Representatives from Sentinel Data Centers participated in the April town hall, in which questions and comments were required to be submitted online before the meeting. Public comment was not allowed, and county councilman and plan commission member Randy Niemeyer emceed the event and asked the submitted questions.
The April town hall was not a plan commission-sanctioned event.
The data center would be developed in phases over five years, Westland said Wednesday. Sentinel Data Centers will be the owner of the property, he added, and they don’t yet know the tenants. County and Sentinel Data Centers officials have not signed nondisclosure agreements for the proposed development, which Westland said is part of a commitment to “radical transparency.”
The land would allow the data center to have direct access to Northern Indiana Public Service Company’s transmission system, and it’s about two miles from the nearest subdivision, Westland said.
Andy Anderson, superintendent of Tri Creek School Corporation, testified Wednesday and said he’s neither for nor against the development. However, he told commissioners that if the development is approved, it could help the district financially, like in La Porte, where the Microsoft data center will allocate 15% of its tax revenue to the school corporation over 40 years.
Anderson said the school district has reduced staffing by more than 10% in the past three years and will not be able to make payroll in three years because of financial challenges.
“We are here to advocate for ourselves,” Anderson said. “We ask for your influence to advocate for our school district.”
Anderson’s comment was the only one that wasn’t against the data center rezone.
Pete Iussig, a Lowell resident, said the proposed rezone and development don’t align with the Lake County Comprehensive Plan, which prioritizes development in areas near interstates first.
“There is no simple landscaping or buffering that can make this use compatible with the surrounding infrastructure,” Iussig said. “There is no municipal water or sewer serving this proposed development, making a development of this scale undesirable and irresponsible on the property in question.”
Kristen Woodward, a Hebron resident, said she’s worried about the future of farmland in south Lake County. According to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the state lost about 345,000 acres of agricultural land between 2010 and 2022, with most of the land converted for development use.
If the data center is built, Woodward said it will be built on prime farming soil.
“Once this land is changed, it can’t necessarily be changed back,” she said. “I want to emphasize that many residents here are not opposed to technology, economic development or responsible infrastructure investment. The issue tonight is not if these rezonings are appropriate — it’s whether these rezonings are appropriate under the current adopted planning framework.”
Munster Town Councilman Jonathan Petersen testified at Wednesday’s meeting, saying that he believes the recent data center boom in the U.S. is similar to the historic gold rush in the country’s western region.
“That’s what we’re being told,” Petersen said. “And the problem is, if it sounds too good to be true, it might be. If anyone doubts that, all you’ve got to do is head out west and see all the ghost towns that are out there.”
Petersen said the rapid evolution of technology could lead to data centers being obsolete, and once it’s done, the community can’t get the farmland back. He encouraged plan commission members to consider what will happen when the facility needs to be decommissioned.
Following public comment, Westland said that county rules require a decommission plan from Sentinel Data Centers.
“We fully intend to comply with all elements of county ordinances, including the decommissioning,” Westland said.
Niemeyer asked Westland why open farmland is considered for data center development. Westland said Sentinel Data Centers investigated sites in north Lake County, but they couldn’t find any with the necessary acreage.
Niemeyer also referenced an alleged Pennsylvania situation, where a data center was proposed and residents opposed to the proposal allegedly pooled their money to outbid the data center developer for the land. The Post-Tribune could not confirm the actions.
“Maybe it’s something you’d consider,” Niemeyer said. “Get your group together and outbid the data center for land because at the end of the day, people still have a right to sell land to whoever they want.”
Before the commission’s vote on no recommendation, Kalvaitis motioned for a moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Lake County, which failed. He said commission members need more time to educate themselves on data center developments.
Niemeyer told Kalvaitis that the commission would need a specific legislative reason for a moratorium, and commission attorney Christian Bartholomew told Kalvaitis that they would have to draft a specific ordinance, host a public hearing and send the ordinance to the county council for approval, which could take months.
More Top Picks Best Sliding Miter Saws For Cutting
Following Kalvaitis’ failed motion for a moratorium, Panczuk moved for an unfavorable recommendation, citing concerns with how the zoning change would fit into the Lake County Comprehensive Plan. Panczuk’s motion resulted in a tied 4-4 vote, which led to the motion for a no recommendation vote.
The Lake County Council is expected to discuss and vote on the data center rezoning at a later date.