WATCH NOW: $225 million industrial project breaks ground in Merrillville

The Silos at Sanders Farm industrial complex represents a $225 million investment in Merrillville, but the project carries other meaning.

U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan described it as a “beacon of hope” because of the many construction jobs the project will create.

“When we develop and build these buildings, there are going to be managers and workers who are going to have jobs that are going to pay for their healthcare,” Mrvan said.

“They’re going to have jobs that are going to be able to move on to Main Street and make purchases, to build homes in Merrillville and to continue to expand our capacity with economic development.”

As Mrvan, town officials and project representatives on Tuesday broke ground for the Silos at Sanders Farm development, Mrvan delivered another message.

“We are open for business in Northwest Indiana, and we are just starting,” he said.

The Silos at Sanders Farm, which is being developed by Crow Holdings, will feature five speculative buildings that will offer about 2.3 million square feet of space. The buildings will be located on about 196 acres of land on Mississippi Street between 93rd and 101st avenues.

The first facility will be 263,500 square feet. Site work has started, and walls for the structure could be delivered next week. Matt Kurucz, of Crow Holdings, said the structure is expected to be finished in January or February of 2023.

The second facility to be built will be the first 1 million square-foot speculative building in Northwest Indiana, Kurucz said. That structure, which is expandable to close to 1.4 million square feet, could be finished in the third quarter of 2023.

Mrvan said attracting a development like the Silos business park requires a collaboration of many entities.

That included the state contributing to the $15 million worth of infrastructure work associated with the development.

Matt Saltanovitz, vice president of domestic business expansions at the Indiana Economic Development Corp., said the infrastructure work is one of 800 projects in the state to receive funding though Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) program.

“The infrastructure project for this new business park is an integral part to Northwest Indiana’s $50 million READI funds from the state that it’s using to move the Region forward,” Saltanovitz said.

The town of Merrillville also is providing a $1.7 million reimbursement to Crow Holdings for utility work, and the town authorized a 10-year tax abatement for the property.

“This is an outstanding project for the town,” Merrillville Town Councilman Shawn Pettit said.

Pettit said he’s fortunate to have watched the nearby AmeriPlex at the Crossroads business park blossom over the years. He said AmeriPlex is full, and now he’s excited to see the Silos project begin.

Pettit represents Merrillville’s 6th Ward, which includes the AmeriPlex business park and the Silos property.

“This is now known as the warehouse ward, and I cannot be prouder because we have got construction jobs, union construction jobs and high-paying jobs that are coming to AmeriPlex and now to Silos at Sanders Farm and that’s exactly what I wanted,” Pettit said.