“Today is that day” Union members crowd City Hall in support of Laporte Data Center

LA PORTE, Ind. -- A packed public hearing in La Porte on Monday drew strong support after the city received a request to annex more than 1,000 acres of farmland for a Microsoft data center development.

The land, much of which is currently used for agriculture, could be transformed into a large-scale data center campus with 11 buildings. The meeting at La Porte City Hall drew a size-able crowd — many of which were members of Union 150 — with overflow seating in hallways while some attendees listened outside.

Local 150 issued a statement backing the annexation, citing potential job opportunities.

“We all make a living going from one temporary job to another,” said Jim Clarida, business manager for IBEW Local 531 and president of the La Porte Pulaski Starke Building Trades. “To have a project of this size — where it could be multiple years, is just unheard of in our industry.”

Supporters who filled City Hall said their presence was encouraged by the mayor and the city.

“We want the city council to see that there are plenty of us out there that are definitely in support,” Clarida said.

Plans presented at the meeting included a vision for the 11 data center buildings on the annexed land. Some city representatives said they were seeing details of the proposal for the first time.

“There’s been an NDA signed by the city and Microsoft not allowing any information out,” said Goot Logwood, a candidate for First District Council. “That’s one of the biggest issues is the lack of transparency.”

Officials also said the project would not affect nearby bodies of water such as Pine Lake, adding that water would be trucked in for the development.

The mayor also announced a financial collaboration with La Porte County, though some county officials expressed concern about how the project was communicated.

“So hopefully the county can have a little bit of input,” said La Porte County Commissioner Joe Haney. “Because when this story first dropped, the first indication we got, unfortunately, from it was that the city filed it in the newspaper. So, we were kind of caught unaware with this.”

The annexation has not been finalized, and plans for data center campus could change. Microsoft representatives said some of the proposed land includes wetlands, which may affect development plans.