[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=48999.34

evelopment May Commence Soon

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - Development of the southwest corner of the Interstate 94/U.S. 421 economic development area could be under way later this year, a real-estate broker told the La Porte County Redevelopment Commission on Tuesday.

The stumbling block to closing the deal has been about seven acres of wetlands on the site, according to Jay Pouzar, senior associate broker of CB Richard Ellis/Bradley in La Porte. Pouzar has worked on behalf of Waste Management Inc. to broker a $25 million deal with GK Development Inc., Barrington, Ill., to acquire Waste Management's 56 acres to be used for future retail and commercial establishments.

Pouzar told The News-Dispatch the deal was ready to proceed last June, but Waste Management couldn't get responses about the wetlands from the Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency until November, when Congressman Joe Donnelly, D-2nd District, stepped in. According to Pouzar, the Army Corps ruled the seven different wetlands on the property are interconnected, meaning they will continue to be involved with the Indiana Department of Environmental Manage-ment in wetland mitigation.

Pouzar said the next step is finding adjacent farmland to establish new wetlands to replace those lost in land development. The additional land purchase could cost GK Development another $500,000, Pouzar said.

Matt Reardon, La Porte County economic development director, said the key to attracting developers to the highly visible, accessible 700-acre area has been installing water and sewer utilities. Beam, Longest and Neff LLC of Indianapolis has completed the engineering design for the estimated $4.5 million project.

The Redevelopment Commission voted to authorize Reardon and County Attorney Shaw Friedman to continue moving forward in getting utilities installed. The county and Michigan City will share costs of the project, but amounts have not been worked out. With the promise of hooking into established water and sewer lines, Reardon said Hedge Developers are moving forward with plans to construct a subdivision of single-family homes on an 80-acre parcel on County Road 300 North adjacent to Patriot Park. Hedge will seek final approval from the La Porte County Plan Commission in March to rezone the area for construction of homes that are expected to sell for $200,000 to $250,000.

The developer will spend about $5.2 million to extend water and sewer lines to the subdivision. Reardon told commissioners the current property taxes on the 80 acres now total $2,266. Following development, the same property could bring in $470,000 in property taxes to the county. Over 10 years, the county would recoup its $4.5 million investment in utility installation.

The Redevelopment Commission also voted to promote future investment along Indiana 39 North and in the Kingsford Industrial Park by making sure zoning, utility extension and other shovel-ready activities are taken care of so barriers to future industrial and manufacturing development are removed.

Jerry Cooley, La Porte County Council vice president, said the county has made progress in the way it approaches development in the few years since the commission was created and Reardon was hired. Cooley said economic development efforts in 2007 added 110 jobs in La Porte County.

"We've come a long ways in how we do development in this county," he said. "When we first got involved in economic development in 2006-07, we met people in restaurants. When they asked what we could offer, we didn't know."

Commission President Bill Hager agreed with Cooley.

"This county is moving in the right direction and moving faster than people know," he said. "Before it was like throwing a ping-pong ball - we didn't know where it was going. Now we know."

Also, Redevelopment Commission officers were re-elected for 2008, including: John McDaniel, president; Don Pryzbylinski, vice president; and Scott Ford, secretary.

The next commission meeting is at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in La Porte County Complex.


Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Dave]

Also, Redevelopment Commission officers were re-elected for 2008, including: John McDaniel, president; Don Pryzbylinski, vice president; and Scott Ford, secretary.

Is this John McDaniel the husband of the county assessor?

[Marram]

Is this John McDaniel the husband of the county assessor?

I would like to see development that preserved our farmlands, addressed the amount of vacant houses in our community, and recognized that artificially created wetland pools are not legitimate substitutes for the real thing. I don't see that happening in our county, and this housing development looks like another bad example.

[JHeath]

Is this John McDaniel the husband of the county assessor?

Yes. Why do you ask?

[Dave]

Yes. Why do you ask?

Because sometimes I'm not totally cognizant of how screwed up things can be.

Don't mind me. I'll just be over here beating my head against the wall.

[lovethiscity]

The developer will spend about $5.2 million to extend water and sewer lines to the subdivision. Reardon told commissioners the current property taxes on the 80 acres now total $2,266. Following development, the same property could bring in $470,000 in property taxes to the county. Over 10 years, the county would recoup its $4.5 million investment in utility installation.

I wonder what kind of effect a new shopping district on 421. An area that has lower county tax rates, then the existing shopping district just blocks away. How easy will it be to fill the vacant stores already in the area. With Wall-Mart soon to be leaving their location. How hard will it be to get a large retailer to fill a store when the profit margin just up the street is larger. Will Michigan City's South end begin to rival its North end?
Is it progress to have the retail move South right past the City limits? Do any of our civic leaders know that North of Rt 20 and South of Rt 12 is also Michigan City.