Stand With Michigan City: Help Us Halt Project Maize Hyperscale Data Center Construction
Please consider donating to our community legal fund. We need your help!
In 2025, our neighborhoods were thrust into crisis when Google’s “Project Maize” AI data center began construction on the former Federal-Mogul factory site at 402 Royal Road. This project, backed by developer Phoenix Investors, is still under construction and not operational. Despite what some may claim, this project is NOT a done deal.
We believe serious legal and safety violations have occurred and are ongoing.
Residents have uncovered concerns about back-door agreements and a potentially unlawful zoning classification of this site as M-1 “light industrial.” This designation requires no impact on surrounding properties, yet the reality on the ground tells a very different story. This hyperscale data center project is surrounded by homes, schools, public green spaces, and protected natural areas, raising urgent questions about how this project was approved in the first place.
Our community is already experiencing harm:
• 24/7 construction has continued for months, despite local ordinances allowing round-the-clock work only during declared emergencies and for limited 30-day durations.
• Persistent noise, light pollution, and heavy truck traffic have disrupted daily life.
• Dust and debris have spread throughout the neighborhood, with the presence of high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogen now banned by the EPA, at the site, which is a contaminated brownfield. The impacts of this chemical are well-documented, including Parkinson's Disease and cancer, having contributed to the sickening of military families at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base.
• Violations stemming from improper soil handling and transport have raised additional environmental concerns.
Worker safety concerns are equally alarming:
Construction workers have described this site as one of the most dangerous they’ve ever worked on. Most disturbing is a reported incident on October 9, 2025, in which a worker fell approximately 70 feet through the roof of the under-construction building, according to police body cam footage. Per eyewitness accounts, the worker was removed from the site by coworkers and has not been publicly accounted for since. Conflicting reports about medical treatment and transport have raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability.
This cannot be ignored.
Additionally, the recent approval to bring 70 backup diesel generators with zero modern pollution controls on-site introduces new risks to air quality, noise, and public health, further contradicting the standards expected under “light industrial” zoning. And this is just for Phase 1!
Why We Need Your Help
We are organizing to take legal action to:
• Challenge the zoning classification
• Investigate potential violations of local, state, and federal laws
• Demand enforcement of construction ordinances
• Protect the health, safety, and rights of workers and residents
Our initial goal is to raise $10,000 to cover legal fees, expert consultations, and filing costs.
This Is NOT Over!
Construction can be halted. Permits can be challenged. Laws can, and must be, enforced.
This is a critical moment to stand up for our community before permanent, irreversible damage is done. Michigan City deserves responsible, transparent development, not rushed, arbitrary decisions that put residents and workers at risk.
Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us fight for accountability, safety, and the future of our neighborhoods.
Join us. Speak out. Help us take action. Thank you!
For more information, please see this short documentary from More Perfect Union, spotlighting community opposition against the Michigan City and New Carlisle data center projects.
And check out this video created by Just Transition Northwest Indiana for more information about what's happening right now.