Work is underway on Digital Crossroads Data Center in northwest Indiana, just across the border from Chicago and on Lake Michigan in Hammond.

Indiana NAP, a newly launched venture by developers Tom Dakich and Peter Feldman, is developing the data center on the 77-acre site of the former State Line Generating Facility, which closed in 2012. The first phase will occupy 12 acres.

According to the developer, the 105K SF Digital Crossroads Data Center will serve a growing demand for data storage among businesses and content providers. The data center will be connected to customers using its own data fiber network, Data Center Dynamics reports, aiming to compete with Chicago data centers (which have competition from further away as well).

Toward that competitive end, Digital Crossroads Data Center counts its access to the Midwestern power grid and Lake Michigan’s cold water supply as competitive advantages.

The project also includes plans for a 10K SF tech incubator, a greenhouse that will be heated by the servers and that will serve Purdue University Northwest, as well as public spaces with access to the lakefront.

The project has the potential to grow into three more data centers and 400K SF of other revitalized property in Hammond.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is supporting the project through the Industrial Recovery Tax Credit program, which provides an incentive to invest in former industrial sites. The project might receive addition tax breaks from the city of Hammond.

Bisnow's DICE Midwest event Aug. 28 will be hosted at Digital Crossroads, so sign up now to join us at Hammond Marina.