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Data center campus · Merrillville, 101st Avenue east of Deep River, Lake County, Indiana

Karis Critical Merrillville data center campus

Paused by moratorium as of June 1, 2026

Karis Critical proposed up to nine buildings on about 180 acres in Merrillville and won a zoning approval in 2024 but still needed plan commission approval and NIPSCO power.

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PowerNot statedNot reported in the records found
Site180acres

Who is behind it

ProjectKaris Critical Merrillville data center campus
Developer and teamKaris Critical
End userNot found in the recordsNot yet named in any record or credited report we have found.

The record, newest first

  1. The council adopts a town-wide one-year moratorium on new data center project approvals, in effect June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027. (Northwest Indiana Business Magazine, May 28, 2026; Town of Merrillville, undated)

  2. The Merrillville Town Council approves the zoning, reported as a 7-0 vote; planned unit development approval from the plan commission is still needed. (Data Center Dynamics, reposted by Karis, Sept. 12, 2024; Inside INdiana Business, Sept. 11, 2024)

  3. The town says its new Data Center Citizen Advisory Committee backs the proposal. (Lakeshore Public Media, Sept. 10, 2024; Inside INdiana Business, Sept. 11, 2024; Northwest Indiana Business Magazine, Sept. 24, 2024)

Conflicts and open questions

  • The town says four developers approached it and one proposal advanced further than the others, but names none, so whether that is this project is not stated.
  • The zoning sequence is not fully clean: a report published the evening of Sept. 10, 2024 and a magazine item dated Sept. 24 describe the zone change as still needed, while DCD and Inside INdiana Business report council approval. The Sept. 10 date comes from their references to a Tuesday meeting and was not confirmed from town minutes.
  • The paused status is an inference from the moratorium's wording, not from a project-specific record. The town's page does not say how the moratorium treats projects already in progress, and whether this proposal is still active was not confirmed.

The full record

Status note
Paused is an inference: the town barred new data center project approvals from June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, and this project still needed plan commission approval when last reported. The town does not name projects, and no project-specific record later than 2024 was opened.
Power note
Not reported; the developer needed power authorization from NIPSCO, and existing lines were reported able to serve the first two buildings.
Evidence
News reports; primary records not yet obtained
Size class
50 MW or more (tracker scope)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.