Karis: Merrillville Campus

Karis Critical proposed this data center campus in 2024 on about 180 acres along E 101st Ave, east of the Deep River, in Merrillville, Lake County, Indiana. Merrillville Holdings LLC owns the two parcels of record. An adjoining 28-acre parcel at 2010 E 101st Ave belongs to Merrillville Holdings 28 LLC, which uses Karis's Lisle, Illinois office address. The land sits in the town's Silos East economic development area.

Plan. Karis outlined up to nine buildings at about $100 million each. Karis develops the land and planned to sign an end user once approvals were in hand. None has been named.

Power. NIPSCO serves the site. A NIPSCO 138 kV line crosses the land, and NIPSCO's 345 kV Olive-St. John line runs about 1.5 miles north. The town's 2024 review found that existing lines could serve the first two buildings and that the rest would need new transmission. Karis agreed to fund a $500,000 NIPSCO infrastructure study.

Approvals. The Data Center Citizen Advisory Committee endorsed the project, and the Town Council approved the zoning change 7-0 in September 2024. Plan Commission approval of a planned unit development was still required. On May 26, 2026 the council adopted a one-year data center moratorium starting June 1, 2026. In July 2026 it extended the moratorium through January 1, 2028.