The new John Deere facility being built in the Lowell-Hebron corridor will be larger than the Amazon building in Merrillville, Lake County officials say.
Transformation has been coming quickly for the patchwork of farmlands, where the Flying J sign was once the sole illuminator of the rural interstate exit.
With the support of Lake County leaders, John Deere recently broke ground at 234 acres of farmland just southwest of Interstate 65 and Indiana 2. Low fence markers can be seen outlining the building zone along Route 2, which slopes along open land, wooded patches and some ravines.
On Thursday, the Lake County Council unanimously approved the area as an “Economic Revitalization Area,” offering tax incentives if John Deere adheres to certain requirements, such as employing union members.
The project is expected to create an estimated 150 jobs, with wages above Lake County’s average wage, said Jen Hartmann, a John Deere representative.
“The scope is large, it’s a 1.2 million square foot building, which is pretty substantial,” said Chris Salatas, president of the Lake County Economic Alliance. “It’s larger than the Amazon warehouse by I-65. I think John Deere is a very recognizable name, it definitely fits with Lake County. It will provide some good jobs, it’s a great American company, and I think the recognition of that company coming to that corridor is only going to draw additional companies and interest into that area. So I’d expect that as they continue to move forward and build out the facility, we’re going to see a lot more interest in that area.”
The location off of I-65 was a strategic choice to enhance the company’s delivery of agricultural, turf, construction, forestry and mining equipment and parts.
Salatas, a Lowell native, said the U.S. Cold Storage building is another recently-completed major project. The building is at the Lowell and Hebron interstate exits, which now towers over the longstanding retail store, The Lion’s Den. Like the 109th Avenue exit in Crown Point, development has been a quickly progressing domino effect.
“These large employers coming to this area, I think, is a really good thing,” Salatas said. “It’s diversifying our local economy. It makes a lot of sense that they’re coming to this area, given the amount of land available and the amount of power transmission available, since there are some major power lines cutting through across I-65 in that area. There’s a data center looking to locate there; there’s a battery of storage facilities that’ve been approved to go in …and then you’ve got a series of solar fields that have been approved, as well. So you’re going to see a lot more go in, just due to the access of I-65 and the availability of property.”
Officials said the John Deere plant will have a Lowell address but is technically located in unincorporated Lake County. Lowell Town Manager Craig Hendrix said recent years have brought many new commercial and residential developments into town.
“…Many of our residents will benefit in the short term by the new construction jobs created and in the long term by the professional jobs as these new businesses develop,” Hendrix said. “Developments like the John Deere facility will continue to make Lowell an attractive place to live and new businesses to locate.”
However, Lowell officials are also cautioning of future traffic and road impacts, as well as growing strain on local emergency response personnel.
“The location of the proposed facility has been strategically placed near I-65,” Hendrix said. “Unfortunately, I think it is safe to assume that some heavy trucking will be utilizing US 41 and State Road 2. State Road 2 runs through the middle of Lowell and its downtown area. The potential for increased heavy truck traffic makes us uneasy. Alternative routes for heavy truck traffic that avoid Lowell’s downtown should be investigated. These new facilities are also placing pressure on the Lowell Volunteer Fire Department as they are pushing the capacity of the department and their equipment.”
Hendrix said they have good faith that Lake County officials will involve Lowell leaders in discussions as developments progress.
Company representatives said this project is a result of John Deere’s initiative to invest $20 billion in U.S. manufacturing in the next decade. This location is one of two major American facilities being built by the company, the first being in Kernersville, North Carolina.
“John Deere will continue to maintain its primary North American Parts Distribution Center in Milan, Illinois, which has been in operation since 1973 and employs about 1,200 people,” Hartmann said.
John Deere was founded in 1837 in Grand Detour, Illinois and is currently headquartered in Moline, Illinois. The company was born when a blacksmith named John Deere invented an early self-scouring steel plow adapted especially for the Midwest’s dense, clay-heavy soil. While the Region’s soil was nutrient-rich for farming, it stuck heavily to early farmer’s cast iron plows. Deere’s invention, made from a broken sawblade, established his company among early Midwest farmers.
“John Deere’s new facility in Lake County will contribute to the county’s overall economic development and provide economic opportunities for both the county and its residents,” said Lake County Councilwoman Christine Cid, D-5th, in a news release. “Once the facility is complete, it will provide good-paying jobs. We welcome developments along the Interstate 65 corridor, such as John Deere, that help contribute to a more resilient commercial tax base throughout the county.”
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
