The Town of Merrillville is looking to get into the data center game, and it now has 180 acres to put its money where its mouth is.

The Town Council on Monday voted unanimously to change the zoning from A-1 Agricultural to CIS — commercial industrial special use — for some 180 acres on 101st Avenue east of Deep River for a data center after four companies approached the town about building them. The change was allowed to happen with one reading because the Plan Commission held the public hearing on the matter, Councilman Shawn Pettit, D-6, said.

The vote came on the heels of a meeting the town held September 9 with its newly formed Data Center Citizen Advisory Board that includes nine Merrillville residents, Town Spokesman Chas Reilly said in a release. The committee, which heard a presentation from Toronto-based Karis Critical that covered economic benefits, noise, power consumptions, backup generators and safety measures, discussed a project that could bring as many as nine buildings costing $100 million apiece, he said.

After conducting their own research and asking thoughtful questions, the committee ultimately approved the idea.

“I am extremely pleased with the turnout and the level of engagement from our citizens at our initial meeting,” Town Council President Rick Bella, D-5, said in the release. “We addressed many of the common concerns and misconceptions surrounding data centers, and it became evident that many of these fears have already been mitigated through the advancements in modern data center design.”

The company will need a planned unit development approval from the Plan Commission as well as power authorization from NIPSCO before it can proceed, but Brett Rogers, Karis’s head of Data Centers, was also pleased with the residents’ interest in any potential project.

“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,” Rogers said. “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.”

Plan Commission member Brian Dering said that the Karis project not only could eventually generate $1 million in annual property tax revenue per building, but data centers in general would have a minimal impact on town services.

“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,” Dering said.

Data center proposals have been cropping up across Northwest Indiana with not-always-positive responses from communities. While Hammond has an existing data center and Microsoft recently announced a $1 billion capital investment in LaPorte, residents in Chesterton and Burns Harbor have packed meeting rooms and contacted local officials to express their opposition.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.