The city of Valparaiso has pulled the plug on an Agincourt data center project in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Agincourt had been exploring the development of a data center campus on farmland east of Indiana 49 between County Road 400 North and County Road 500 North.
As reported by Lakeshore Public Media, Mayor Jon Costas said Agincourt has agreed to withdraw from the project and to release its option on the land.
The company had not submitted any official plans, but the project was said to include four two-story buildings, each spanning 157,000 sq ft (14,585 sqm).
At the city council meeting, residents voiced concerns about water and power usage, noise, and impact on property values.
In his official statement, the mayor said the city council would not have further pursued the project without community and city council support, as the land would first have to be rezoned for anything to be built.
Some residents remained frustrated that the proposal made it that far, with a few council members agreeing that the city should have been more transparent with the incoming proposals.
One resident, Dr Hector Juan Marchand, voiced specific concerns about the potential health impacts of a data center project. Another, Greg Kuehl, said the city had a habit of pressuring landowners for property, only to sell it at a profit a few years later.
The site in question had first been acquired by the city as part of a plan by former Mayor Matt Murrphy to develop a sports complex comprising seven fields.
Agincourt Investments is a real estate developer with projects spanning Northwest Indiana and the US.
Though Indianapolis is the state’s major data center market, the northwest region of the Hoosier State is gaining traction as developers seeking data center opportunities overspill across the Illinois/Indiana state border from Chicago.
Karis Critical is seeking to develop a nine-building campus on a 180-acre site in Merriville; Wylie Capital is looking to build a 1.2 million sq ft (111,480 sqm) data center site in the city; and Province Group is targeting a 1 million sq ft (92,900 sqm) campus there.
Provident Realty recently proposed a seven-building campus in nearby Burns Harbor. Provident also proposed an eight-building data center campus in Chesterton in May 2024, but saw the plans rejected.
Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have all announced data center builds in Indiana, specifically in New Carlisle, Mishawaka, and Fort Wayne, respectively. Amazon is also said to be developing in Portage.
Meta, US Signal, DataBank, Netrality, Vantage, and Digital Crossroads all have a presence in Indiana.
Most recently, the Hobart Plan Commission green-lighted a data center project from an unnamed developer.
Last year, a report from CBRE flagged Northern Indiana as a key emerging market in meeting North America’s increasing demand for capacity.
