Lebanon’s LEAP District is on the verge of finalizing a deal with META, opening the door to a potential $4 billion investment

Boone County, Indiana – The parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and more is poised to make a significant investment of $800,000 in Boone County, with the potential for billions more to come in the future.

On Monday night, the Lebanon City Council greenlit an incentive package aimed at enticing the technology giant META to the LEAP District. Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry indicated that while it’s not finalized, progress is being made. Gentry indicated that this might mark the initial phase of a six-part plan, with an overall investment exceeding $4 billion.

“If fully developed into six phases, this could become one of their largest data center campuses globally,” Gentry stated.

META plans to construct the data center on previously cultivated land located north of State Road 32 and west of Lebanon. Gentry indicated that the total parcel would encompass around 1,400 acres.

The largest parcel sold from the 9,000 acres acquired by the state of Indiana for the LEAP District will be a significant milestone. Eli Lilly & Company is developing two distinct locations across several hundred acres of land.

The approved incentive package for META features the establishment of a TIF district, water pre-allocation, and tax breaks.

The council has granted a 10-year, 50% reduction on real property taxes and a 35-year, complete exemption on personal property taxes.

To counterbalance that, Gentry announced that META would contribute an annual community impact payment of $1.5 million.

“That should genuinely be utilized for anything that serves the interests of the city of Lebanon,” Gentry stated. “Parks, trails, sidewalks, street lighting, and fire stations.” Whatever you envision, that’s how we can bring it to life.

Gentry expressed that META’s achievement as the second company to join LEAP is a promising indicator for the project’s future.

“They need to navigate their internal selection process and determine, ‘We want to establish ourselves in Indiana, specifically in the LEAP District, in Lebanon,’” Gentry stated. “That’s a powerful affirmation of our efforts here.”

However, not all neighbors in the LEAP District share that perspective.

Jim Love and Brian Daggy have received offers from the state to sell their land for the LEAP District, yet they have chosen to hold firm. For generations, Love has cultivated his Boone County land, while Daggy made the move to his property just three years ago, seeking a peaceful retirement.

The two men and their families now face uncertain futures, deeply concerned about the fate of the valuable Indiana farmland surrounding them.

“It’s impossible for us to cultivate successful crops on that land after it has been ruined,” Love stated.

Naggy expressed concerns regarding the incentives provided to these companies.

“Eventually, local landowners and property owners will have to address that shortfall,” he stated.
Additionally, there are concerns regarding the source of water needed for the ongoing development and the factories that will follow.

“It makes sense for projects that need significant water resources to be situated near those resources instead of relying on extensive piping,” Daggy stated.

The state and Lebanon are actively collaborating to find a solution to this issue. Gentry announced that they are on the verge of finalizing a deal with Citizen’s Energy Group to supply 25 million gallons of water daily for the LEAP District.

Gentry stated that Lilly and META are unlikely to utilize all of that water.

“Considering the overall capacity of 25 million gallons per day, there will be ample water available to meet this demand. The extended construction timelines ensure that by the time the water is required, it will be ready,” Gentry stated.

The city of Lebanon is set to embark on the construction of new infrastructure aimed at expanding water mains, ensuring a reliable water supply to the LEAP District. Gentry expressed his confidence that this development would come to fruition. According to Gentry, the TIF District established for META is crucial for ensuring the development of that infrastructure.

“Similar to other economic initiatives, we established a TIF district within the LEAP District to effectively harness the shift in assessed value, enabling us to allocate those funds for infrastructure,” Gentry stated. “This is a crucial step in ensuring we can finance the water infrastructure without affecting the current ratepayers in Lebanon.”

For Gentry, this is all about Lebanon realizing its true potential.

“Our goal is to create more opportunities for our citizens in the future, and honestly, we aim to foster a community that people are eager to call home,” he stated.

Love and Daggy have expressed that they have no intentions of selling their land in the near future.

“We’ll continue to cultivate our land and nourish America, just as we have done for many years,” Love stated. “We’ll see how long this opportunity lasts, and we hope to pass it on to our children and grandchildren.”

According to Gentry, both META and Lilly are set to commence operations in 2027.