Project had recently been approved for tax incentives in Indiana.
The Mayor of Michigan City has said that the city had no plans to pursue a $832 million data center project, dubbed ‘Project Maize.’
This is despite the fact that plans for the proposed facility, which would be located in LaPorte County, were submitted to the City Council earlier this year and had been approved for tax incentives by the Indiana Economic Development Commission board earlier this month.
Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch said: “Any major project of this magnitude must bring tangible value and benefits to Michigan City residents.”
The statement also mentioned that “the developer did not present any binding commitments that would ensure lasting benefits for Michigan City residents.
The project – a capital investment of $800m with limited job creation and no assurance of community reinvestment or substantial tax impact – did not meet the criteria Mayor Nelson Deuitch’s administration uses to evaluate major developments.
"No formal proposal regarding local incentives has been brought to the City Council for consideration, and at this time, there are no plans to pursue the project.”
The identity of the developer is still unknown.
Indiana has received a great deal of attention from various data center operators. Large players like Google, Amazon, and Meta all have a presence in the region, and demand has led the state to project significant growth in peak load capacity.
