(New Carlisle, IN) - It looks as if the big mystery project possibly in the works for the industrial area east of New Carlisle is already underway.
In November the St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission approved an agreement with a developer known only as Razor5. The plan is to use 840 acres on parcels both north and south of State Road 2.
The identity of the major company represented by Razor5 has fueled speculation. A report by the South Bend Tribune last month suggested that a major corporate data center is in the works. The name Amazon was dropped at a St. Joseph County Council meeting in December.
Economic Development Director Bill Schalliol says work is currently underway to prep an electrical substation on about 45 acres near the corner of Edison Road and Larrison Boulevard.
Schalliol says the developer is still evaluating the main site south of State Road 2, which is about 640 acres. “They still are working through due diligence on the southern site,” Schalliol said. “It still has to go through rezoning; they’re still working on some wetlands issues. Until they get through those processes, they won’t commit to the southern site.”
In the meantime, excavators are already moving dirt to the north. Said Schalliol, “They’ve got to show AEP a commitment that they’re going to have the pad sites in place by the time AEP is ready to provide them with power. So that’s why they’re starting all this early site work.”
According to Schalliol, the substation pad site is between three and four acres. Razor5 already owns over 40 acres around it, he said, with the purchase of additional adjacent lots anticipated over the next several weeks. If the plan comes to fruition, that acreage will contain buildings, parking, and drainage.
Schalliol admitted that the process seems a little cart-before-the-horse, but said it’s not uncommon for major companies like the one behind Razor5. “They’ve done this in other locations,” he said, “and if they can’t get commitments on power, if they can’t get entitlements or have some other issue, they would be willing to just come back in and grade the site clear and be willing to sell it.”
Schalliol said the major company involved, whoever it is, will need buildings all across the 840 acres, not to mention lots of electricity. A spokesperson for Indiana Michigan Power declined to provide information on the substation, citing the utility’s security protocols.
According to Schalliol, the timeline for a possible announcement is still uncertain but shortening. “I would tell you things are moving very quickly,” he said, “and I would imagine we’d see some things before the council in probably late February, early March.” However, he added that the parent company likely won’t reveal its identity until later.
