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[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=32796.78

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."

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...;ArticleID=8865

Andrews Shows Off North End Study
University officials stress changes don’t have to be quick.

Jason Miller
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Residents on Thursday were given their first real look at the study that officials feel could transform the city's North End.

Instructors and students from the Andrews University Urban Design Studio presented the final results of their early fall study to an overflowing crowd at Michigan City City Hall.

The study, commissioned last summer, not only gave ideas for utilization of new retail, residential units and green space, but also presented a way to refit the city's zoning process. That would make the study's conclusions more feasible.

"Everything we've done here is a proposal that has to be taken to the next level," said Andrew Von Maur, the head of the design studio and facilitator of the study.

"It's not a 100-percent blueprint to follow, but it shows how development should work. It's a visionary illustration that's supposed to help guide the decision-making process."

The study focused on creating "meat" in the middle of what many call the city's "Golden Triangle,"the area between Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets, Blue Chip Casino and Washington Park.

Andrews students designed wholesale changes not only at the edges of the triangle, but in the middle, as well, including parks and new buildings, all of which Von Maur said would make the city more pedestrian friendly.

"We want to turn the triangle into a diamond by utilizing the South Shore (railroad on 11th Street)," he said. "Franklin Street is a pretty good district, but it's surrounded by a non-pedestrian friendly environment. The study shows how to change that."

Along with making Franklin Street a two-way street and creating a shopping and residential mecca along Trail Creek, the study also showed how to utilize Washington Park more efficiently.

The study makes use of beach as a "front yard to the city," by creating a grassy area with an amphitheater on one side and a restaurant on the other.

Parks Superintendent Darrell Garbacik liked the idea.

"It looks surprisingly like the parks' Master Plan," Garbacik said. He was referring to a plan introduced last year that included many ideas the Andrews study encompassed, including a restaurant. "And I think it looks pretty darn cool."

One of the more interesting aspects of the study, Von Maur said, is its introduction of, and recommendation of, a new zoning plan called SmartCode. SmartCode sets up zones based on the type of environment the city seeks instead of specific uses.

The code more easily blends different types of uses into one area to fit the idea of what officials would like the area to become. Von Maur said the study should be phased in over generations.

Mayor Chuck Oberlie already has laid out plans to begin work on some of the ideas as soon as this year.

"These are all bold ideas. Some people are ready to start today," Von Maur said. "But some aren't. This is something that should be phased in over time."

Contact reporter Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.