North end could be "choice area", Andrews North End Plan discussion |
North end could be "choice area", Andrews North End Plan discussion |
Jan 17 2008, 08:07 AM
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL Group: Admin Posts: 16,460 Joined: 8-December 06 From: Michigan City, IN Member No.: 2 |
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=32796.78
QUOTE Oberlie: North End Can Be 'Choice' Area Jason Miller The News-Dispatch MICHIGAN CITY - In his annual state-of-the-city address last week, Mayor Chuck Oberlie outlined his fast-track plans for the city's North End in hopes that after the first quarter of 2008, the engine of change will be humming. Saying the area isn't pedestrian friendly or visually pleasing, he hopes the results of three studies laying out possibilities for the North End turn the area - through a unified vision - into the city's "neighborhood of choice." "The beauty of it all is that I outlined 21 different projects, and all of them will be moving forward as of (Thursday)," he said. "And they can all move forward without hurting the others." Oberlie also released a small portfolio featuring a few ideas for North End redevelopment gleaned from three studies the city has commissioned in the last two years. The most visually striking of the ideas is a large residential and commercial area along Trail Creek which, in theory, would include three large high-rise buildings just across the creek from Blue Chip Casino. Oberlie's thoughts are that developing the Trail Creek Corridor from Eighth Street to Washington Park would turn the city's North End into the crown jewel of the city. His hopes aren't without precedent. Although its size pales in comparison to that of Michigan City, the town of Saugatuck, Mich., benefits greatly from a developed Kalamazoo River, which houses not only hundreds of private boat slips, but residences, shops and restaurants like those Oberlie envisions for Trail Creek. "Our boating industry is a huge element of our success, if not the lifeblood of our town," second-term Saugatuck Mayor Tony Vettori said Friday. "And it's all due to the fact that there's so much to do right along the river. It brings in boaters and non-boaters." Like Michigan City, Saugatuck features a river that leads to a large, heavily used beach and the waters of Lake Michigan. Vettori said the beach benefits from the downtown river scene, just as the downtown benefits from the beach and Lake Michigan. "We've become an art destination and a shopping destination. And Oval Beach is rated one of the top 10 beaches in the country," Vettori said. "The water is all a part of what draws people here, and I'd think it would have the same effect in Michigan City." |
Jan 17 2008, 11:02 AM
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Really Comfortable Group: Moderator Posts: 1,658 Joined: 26-July 07 From: Michigan City Member No.: 482 |
When I was in high school, my parents had a cottage with a Saugatuck address, three or four miles by water from downtown Saugatuck.
Saugatuck has a long history of development along the river. Anyone who has been there knows that the entire downtown area is no more than four blocks from the Kalamazoo River, which is a navigable river for miles and miles, unlike our little Trail Creek. Saugatuck started off as a logging town (google Singapore, MIchigan for more info), and became an artist colony in the early 1900's. They had enough sense to turn to tourism as their main industry some time ago. According to wikipedia, the year round population is about 1000, but summer population is about 3000. I'm not sure how much of a model Saugatuck can be for MC, given the difference in scale. However, one point does hit home. The key to north end redevelopment is Lake Michigan, which is to say boating and boat slips. Those proposed high rises are going to empty unless a sizable percentage of the owners are going to have boat slips to go with their condos. MIchigan City is for all practical purposes the only town in Indiana with access to Lake Michigan for recreational boating, and we need to capitalize on that. The owners of the proposed condos are going to be Chicago people buying second homes. I have no problem with Chicago people spending money here, tourism dollars and property taxes for second homes that they use only a small part of the year, and I have to question the sanity and/or smarts of anyone who does have a problem with it. For purposes of north end redevelopment, the two primary resources we have are the lake and our proximity to Chicago. In my mind's eye, Chicago is like a vein of ore that we have to mine. And that ore, my friends, is cash. |
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