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Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 3 2015, 01:29 PM

I think that we should have a thread where we can keep track of and discuss projects that are under construction, planned or proposed for the city. We can also exchange ideas about what types of developments Michigan City needs to attract to be competitive in the region. I am sort of a development nerd and the idea comes from 'Skyscraperpage' where the site is devoted to major construction projects from around the world.

Current projects and proposals:

Michigan City Police Station
Lifeworks Business Park
Construction on South Franklin
Realignment of Washington and Pine
New activities center/pavilion at Washington Park
U.S. 421 Overpass
U.S. 12 bridge
Franklin Street Bridge
LMGIS
Art Space
Proposed "up-scale" hotel for North End
Former Memorial Hospital Site
Trail Creek Corridor
Beautification of Nipsco Cooling Tower
Nipsco "Scrubber"
NICTD Track Realignment

We have a lot of development in the works. I've always felt that Michigan City is a sleeping giant that has the potential to dominate the region. We have had multiple developers envision high-rises and mid-rises in the city at various locations. I can remember back in 2006-2007 a developer from Chicago wanted to demolish Galveston Steakhouse and erect a 13 story "S" shaped condo on the site before the economy collapsed. Another developer proposed two 20 story condo/hotel buildings for the former Memorial Hospital site and Lohan-Anderson recommended 3-24 story condos for Trail Creek next to Blue Chip. The possibilities are endless but the city must rid itself of the terrible NIMBY'ism which harms our growth.

I hope to hear of other projects in the city that people have knowledge of that I am unaware of and welcome even rumors. For instance, I have a friend with ties to sources in the city and he has stated that they are working towards Marquette Mall being demolished with the city claiming emanate domain. Whether it is substantial I don't know but it is certainly conceivable and necessary. He also claimed that the mall doubled the rent of Applebee's and that is why they exited the city. I hope Michigan City does not work to just become Valparaiso redux which I fear is the idea. Michigan City has a unique opportunity to become more South Bend like with major developments. We have almost double the Sq. Mileage of Valpo and La Porte. The problem is Michigan City is largely underdeveloped. We have large swaths of land primed for mixed use projects. Cleveland Ave. for one has the potential to be even more prominent with a greater density than Franklin Street yet it has attracted no interest from what I can glean. The sign for "Cleveland Crossing" has been up for 8-10 years. I would also like to see Michigan City attract more authentic ethnic restaurants and other businesses to give more of a big city feel by offering something for everyone and widening the demographics rather than just being a high-end mono-cultural boutique city like Valpo. A market research company suggested Michigan City also attract a college campus somewhere downtown to give a "university feel" to the North End. Either PNC, Ivy Tech or I.U. That would be an excellent idea to bolster growth.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 3 2015, 05:34 PM

Glad to hear the city is doing something about Marquette Mall. Like I stated before when the stores closed at Century Mall in Merrillville it was torn Dow, when the stores closed at Woodmar Mall in Hammond it was torn down, when the stores closed at Scottsdale Mall with in South Bend it was torn down, when the stores closed at several subarban Malls in the cities and villages in Illinois they were torn down. So why isn't Marquette Mall being torn down?

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 4 2015, 08:12 AM

I recall that back in the early 90s right after I moved here that Buddy Myers of the Chicago Wolves hockey team as looking into building an indoor event arena in Michigan City. He wanted to locate it across from the airport on U.S. 35 where they keep talking about putting in a truck stop. The three county commissioners that were in at the time who are now all deseased wanted a big chunk of the revenue and mayor Brillson wanted to locate it on the old Memorial Hospital property. Nothing ever came to fruition.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 4 2015, 11:52 AM

I remember that as well. Brillson also wanted to bring a 2nd casino, (she fought for Four Winds and land based gaming but the state law did not pass) a minor league baseball team and a regional airport. She had great vision and passion. We have not had a mayor to match her vision for Michigan City. She was responsible for much of the growth that we experienced.

As for the mall, it is a blight and I have no clue why nothing is being done about it. All I have heard is that the owners are obstinate and can afford to operate at a loss essentially forever. This is supposedly why the city is at the emanate domain stage as all other options have been exhausted. Though the city has been negotiating with Blocksom for over a decade. If the mall goes anything like that then this will be a futile notion. A Shoe Carnival manager told me last year he heard that a Macy's is supposed to take over the Penney's building. Then they announced their closing a few months later. I hope this isn't true and the mall is indeed demolished. I think there is more potential for the location than what a rejuvenated mall would bring.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 5 2015, 08:31 AM

Marquete Mall property would be an ideal location for the Northwest Indiana Convention and Event Center similar to Donald E. Stevens in Rosemont, IL or McCormick Place in Chicago. There is nothing like that anywhere in the Northwest Indiana region.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 5 2015, 03:05 PM

There is talk about tearing down the old Chrysler dealership at 11th and Michigan Boulevard. We purchased a home in that area which I am renovating.

I watched the Ministerial candidates forum on ALCO and one of the council candidates expressed their concern that there is a dire need of a full service grocery store on the eastside of Michigan City which hasn't existed along the Michigan Boulevard corridor since SuperSave Foods (formally K&M) in Eastgate Plaza went bankrupt.

That would be a great location for a grocery store for the residents of that area, either a 3rd Al's location or bring in a chain like Martin's.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 9 2015, 12:57 AM

I hope they do tear that down, that has been an eyesore for a long while and that is a prime location with all the traffic for the casino. I agree that side of town does need a grocery store. Karwick is way too expensive for the economic climate of the Eastside.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 9 2015, 01:09 AM

A convention center with a mixed use high-rise tower including hotel/office/retail/restaurants and perhaps live theater space ala "Star Plaza" would be such a perfect utilization of the property and put the city on the proverbial map. Or the site could serve as a satellite campus for a major university with a combination of low & mid-rise offices, halls and dorms and an athletics facility.

Sadly, knowing Michigan City if anything we will see strip malls, banks and gas stations go up in it's place if anything ever happens.

It would require an ambitious developer and a substantial investment on the city's behalf but the rewards would be incalculable.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Mar 9 2015, 11:42 AM

With the local demographics, it would be a really tough sell when compared to the communities around us. You need a pretty white collar, college educated community to not only to support that type of development, but also to staff it. Too many of our college grads are lone gone to greener fields in other towns.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 9 2015, 12:17 PM

Another thing you didn't mention was the NICTD realignment.

I don't understand Mr. Parry and the Libertarian candidate stating that they want to put people to work but are opposed to the plan as NICTD will increase freight train traffic as they are wanting to haul steel coils to and from the Mills to the ArcelorMittal I/N Kote/I/N Tek processing plant in New Carlisile so the people there will have the raw material to go to work.

I bet there are a lot of Michigan City residents that are employed at IN Kote/IN Tek that this would benefit.

I'm sure NICTD would schedule the freight trains to run during off peak hours to keep traffic tie up to a minimum.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Mar 9 2015, 01:43 PM

When you run for Mayor you have two choices as to how to run.

#1, you can be opposed to everything the other candidate stands for.
#2, you can run on the premise that your ideas are better than the other candidates.

So far I am seeing a lot of #1 from Parry.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 11 2015, 08:25 AM

Once Super Save went bankrupt mayor Meer as well as 5th ward councilmen Mr. Duane Parry should have both the chamber of commerce and economic development director Mr. Hulse to bring in a sustainable supermarket chain that specializes in serving the needs of lower middle income families and keeps their prices in line with their competitors. It never happened because it is very clear that Mayor Meer and Mr. Parry do not work well together.

Martin's supermarket operates a store on Western Ave. by Washington High School area that services the predominately mixed Hispanic and black residents of the Westside of South Bend would be a ideal for the Boulevard.

The residents of the Eastside, the most densely populated area of the city should not be forced to traverse halfway across the city to buy groceries especially in the winter time.

Everybody has to eat.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 12 2015, 10:51 AM

This is an epidemic in Chicago and I'd imagine many other major cities throughout the country including New Orleans. Minorities not having access to fresh meats and produce. Chicago stores are rife with junk food and alcohol on the south and west sides wile Jewel, Whole Foods and others are abundant in downtown and on the north-side. Many families, including elderly and disabled's have to take at least 10 mile bus trips to buy groceries at stores they cannot afford just to find food with nutritional value. Chicago is anti-Wal-Mart due to being non-union although I believe a couple have finally been built now in south-side locations. My aunt lived on 95th and Normal and it was a 18 mile round trip journey on trains and buses to find decent food. All that for a single 73 year old woman can be daunting and exhausting not to mention dangerous. She was limited on what she could carry as well having to use public transport. An alpha global city with a GDP greater than 2/3rds of the countries in the world should be able to provide access to fresh food for its residents.

Eastgate Plaza with the old K&M should be razed. Michigan Blvd. has been neglected for decades now. The stores are dilapidated and abandoned. I don't know why with the city being so conscious as to what casino visitors see during the trek to and fro are not at least renovating the facades of some of these places and attracting new business. They are giving grants for downtown and Dunes Plaza though the biggest white elephant is Michigan. Maybe, (and I hope) the city building the new Police Department on Michigan will lower crime and appeal to developers. After investing millions in the beautification process it would only make sense to follow through and now work on the homes and businesses. Similar to the west side rehabilitation projects.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 12 2015, 11:49 AM

Well I would think a new campus for a major university would attract people from the entire region. A college like Indiana, Purdue or Ball State etc. etc. have the resources to fully staff a new institution through recruitment. The reputation alone would attract students and faculty. Imagine news of a "Northern Ball State" coming to Michigan City. That would resonate through the entire Midwest. PNC is flourishing, something on an even bigger scale I believe would succeed in a city environment. One thing that lacks with every other school in the area other than Valpo is a Division 1 athletics program. That would definitely increase viability. I think an 8-10 thousand student capacity sized school would offer competition to attract students and faculty headed to Purdue/I.U./Valpo or out of state.

There are plenty Michigan City residents who could now attend school at home. For instance I know many people who attend Michigan City Ivy Tech and their number one complaint is that they have to travel to South Bend or Valpo for most of the classes that they take since the city campus offers so little. Nursing is the only program I see people actually graduating from and going on to find high wage jobs. My wife had to attend Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor for Dental Hygienist. There are just so few options in Michigan City. It would take years and a few phases but feasible. We have the land across from the airport which could house it or along 94, 400.

Having said all that, I know there is no way anything like this ever happens. I don't even foresee a Valpo sized Ivy Tech ever being built in Michigan City. They won't even build a new High School after combining both and supposedly being on sinking land.

Daniel Burnham said, "Make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men's blood." The Michigan City NIMBY's need to heed this advice.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 12 2015, 12:04 PM

Take I-94 to Chicago. Right off the expressway in mid town section of Gary at 25th and Grant St. Country Fresh Market location would be another prime example.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 12 2015, 12:12 PM

I don't know whether it's true or not but I have heard from multiple people that they are supposed to be building a Target/Plaza behind Kohl's and tearing down Rodini's to access it from Franklin. I would think the plaza with the Cigarette Outlet and Dollar Store next to Rodini's would also have to come down to even be able to view it from vehicles traveling down Franklin. I couldn't imagine developers spending millions on a new location without prime visibility.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Mar 12 2015, 01:40 PM

I would love to see it happen. I really would. Ultimately these places have to make money, or they won't survive. That is the biggest hang up. There has to be a market to support the underlying business.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 12 2015, 07:08 PM

I remember there was once two grocery stores at the intersection of U.S. 20 and Woodland Ave.

The location that is now the Michigan City location of Brown Mackie Business College was originally Eagle Food which specialized in generic brand foods and across the street is now the state welfare office was originally Jim's Fiesta Villa Super Market and later became Al's then Box office video rental. Can't buy nothing to feed the family there either nowadays.

Here's an old newspaper ad from the 70s for Jim's Fiesta Villa Supermarket:

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 13 2015, 11:05 AM

Look at similarly sized Kalamazoo for example, (land area) home to Western Michigan with 25,000 students, and Kalamazoo Valley with 12,000, a downtown business district replete with high rises etc. For being 20 square miles Michigan City is grossly under-populated and under-developed. There are many similar sized cities with double and triple the population. With the city wanting to build luxury high/mid-rises condos, high-end hotels, upscale eateries and becoming a regional destination there is no better way to go about it than having an educated workforce with high earnings potential and opportunities at home. I don't want to oversimplify the process but I think that there is always a market for institutions of higher learning. The industry sells itself really which in turn leads to other industries attaching themselves to the opportunities which are presented by such a massive development which then sells itself to the people.

With forming a university, I am led to believe that along with it, would also come more diversified professional industries to the city and surrounding area. High paying finance/medical/advertising/manufacturing jobs would materialize from large corporations which would locate to the city knowing it is drawing from a college educated population. As it stands, what motivation would a global corporation such as Mercedes have to ever build a Michigan City plant for example? Valparaiso has significantly more and higher paying manufacturing jobs and I believe that is solely due to having a higher educated workforce and better schools.

Considering that we are calculated in the Chicago Metropolitan Population which has roughly 9.7-10 million people and with many of these major universities having a 65-80% acceptance rate. Those statistics provide a potential student population that far, far exceeds what having 10 times the amount of colleges in the area could accommodate. I don't believe Michigan City proper would have to be the catalyst for success. If the school had a reputable research facility, division 1 athletics and post graduate programs I think the institution would make money.

As it stands, Michigan City is a dead end for it's citizenry. Low paying service jobs, a relatively high crime rate and a disillusioned youth who must relocate to find success leaves them taking menial jobs with no ambitions of attending college. All this could change with a systematic overhaul of the school system which would be possible with outreach programs through the university and funding from taxes collected. They could hire better teachers and administrators and students would take a more active role in their studies and preparation for their future's knowing their is an opportunity to attend school and find living wage employment at home.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 13 2015, 11:32 AM

Wow thanks, for the life of me I could not remember what was in that location before Box Office Video. I'm 35 so I was too young to see "Jim's Fiesta Villa." I can vaguely remember there being an "Al's" now that you point it out. My wife and I just went by the location the other day and couldn't recall what was there.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 13 2015, 12:10 PM

Lakeshore Foods closed the Al's location at 20 and Woodland around 1990 when they opened their Valuland II location in Lake Park Plaza in the building that now houses Hobby Lobby. In 1991 I actually worked with a great person at ANCO named Fran Brown who purchased a $5,000,000 jackpot winning Hoosier Lotto ticket at the former Valueland II store in Lake Park Plaza.

Lakeshore Foods closed the Valuland II store when Meijer opened up and priced them out of business by selling .89 gallons of milk along with other low priced staples that's why Valueland II closed down.

Here is a great read about independant grocery store Jim Agemy. Talks about food stores on the north end like Sunshine Market and Big Bear and Walter Tittle's Meat Market, a Kroger's on 4th street next to Flanigan's tire and Jewel and A&P. Mr. Agemy's first store at 8th & Wabash. People can't buy groceries there anymore either.


http://mclib.org/genealogy/oralhistory/agemy_j_t-6-129.pdf

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Mar 13 2015, 03:04 PM

Who exactly is looking to build a new university right now? And your first two paragraphs are exactly why Michigan City wouldn't be the first choice for anyone who was looking to expand. That is kind of my point. Why would THEY want to come HERE? It is obvious why we would want them here.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 14 2015, 04:30 PM

Well obviously this is a hypothetical conversation. Please don't lose sight of the fact that I clearly stated that "nothing like this will ever happen." I am only making a case that the city could take steps to move in such a direction to make its self attractive to a university. They can create the climate necessary to bring something like this to fruition. Just like the city could have created the climate to bring in 3 twenty-four story high-rise condos as recommended by Lohan Anderson who would have signed on to be the "master-developer." If the city actively pursued such a venture it would be possible. You don't think that if the city approached say, Purdue or I.U. about bringing in a school and offered tax incentives, a land deal, significant state funding and promises to develop surrounding areas to attract potential students there would be an interest? As you said, they are in the money making business and a deal like that would be irresistible. This is just not where our values are, we are too concerned with building a lakefront shoppers paradise (and failing). As I said previously, P.N.C. is flourishing in Westville of all places with 4,500 students and making multi-million $ investments like a new, student activities center. Attach "Purdue" to a facility and the rest will follow. There is no reason Michigan City couldn't host a college 2-3 times the size. The city generated $27 million for "Artpsace" and a new police station. That sort of investment builds a very large state of the art facility for something like the new "Northern I.U." going up across from the airport on U.S. 12 on the 300 acres secured from the county in a low interest, 20 year tax free agreement where in exchange La Porte County residents receive financial relief on their annual tuitions. lol, That's all I'm saying.

Do you think Blue Chip blindly picked Michigan City from a map? Not hardly, the city aggressively engaged them and agreed to demolish an entire neighborhood to accommodate it, hence, "creating the climate." Why would a casino want to come to a "ghetto" and a city where the median household income is $40,000 then sit a barge in a creek that is marginally wider than the vessel and can only travel 100 feet? Remember? The casino was looking for a Lake Michigan location where the riverboat could travel for hours at a time. The Trail Creek Corridor Plan, Blocksom and marina relocations, Michigan Blvd beautification, etc. etc. is all steps the city conceptualized when the casino agreed to come to make it a viable and sustainable operation in the future. Blue Chip wants traffic to the district and the city made all sorts of promises to deliver. As I said in the first post they are encouraging the city to attract an "up-scale" hotel with convention space, high end dining and lake views. This could be viewed as competition but they embrace it for the potential increase in tourism. It takes a concerted effort and it's not always the development solely recruiting the location. Often they must be enticed.

Kohl's agreed to come and with that agreement came upgrades in sewer systems, renovating the existing plaza, parking lot, an uptick in pressure on the mall to do something with the property and future U.S. 20 streetscape improvements all on the city's behalf.


Michigan City wouldn't be anybody's first choice or ideal location for a burgeoning artist community either, throw in a $20 million investment on the city and private donor's behalves with renovation of an entire district, a newly renovated low-rise lofts, updated façade grants, attract other art related stores and trendy restaurants and Michigan City has itself a poor man's Greenwhich Village.

This sort of thinking that something can't be done in Michigan City is exactly why the city is so stagnated and been left behind by Valpo. In less than a decade Valpo turned sprawling forests and fields into professional office buildings, medical facilities, a $30 million Ivy Tech campus, large manufacturing facilities with living wage jobs, a regional hospital and big box retail shopping that puts Franklin to shame. Lincolnway has multiple mixed-use low-rise condo's with retail at street level. A completely revitalized bustling downtown with high-end boutiques and trendy shops. Highway 30 is also filled with stores and restaurants for miles, There has also been a 30% increase in population since the turn of the century. In that same period Michigan City built a 4 lane road primed for commercial development that shockingly still sits vacant and hasn't even filled numerous lots on Franklin Street. What resources were there exactly that Michigan City did not have? Michigan City has the lake, Lighthouse Mall and casino paying them tens of millions annually. Valpo's higher property taxes do not account for the amazing development and they always had higher median incomes than Michigan City yet was a ghost town by comparison. They had politicians and officials who went after it. That is why Michigan City went after Craig Philips. We see now there is a study being done every other week. The city might finally be getting it right.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 14 2015, 05:46 PM

Holladay Properties must be doing a terrible job marketing Lifeworks Business Park. After 7 years we have one medical building for what was supposed to be a diverse village including a sports complex, hotel, restaurants, retail, medical and professional offices. Their park in Portage with Bass Pro Shop is underwhelming as well. Their resume is chalked full of architecturally bland, value engineered buildings with cheap materials and clashing colors and patterns. Why I.U. went with this firm as their marketer and developer is beyond me.

There used to sit a "Future Home of Lake City Bank" sign that looked like it was going to be 4 or 5 stories tall. That came down a couple years ago and the only activity after 7 years is they look to be adding some winding roads. That is pretty pathetic I have to say.

I saw today they are building a new Mc'Donald's that will be 2,000 sq. foot bigger and a really nice design as far as Mc'Donald's goes with an enhanced Play Place... The Lubeznik's seem to always make sure that, that location is the best Mc'Donald's around. It must be their 'flagship' store.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Mar 15 2015, 11:36 AM

All of the things you are mentioning have one thing in common. They all benefit from low wages to pay to their employees, and low costs barriers to entry. They don't need an educated community to survive or to support them.

And if one of the major universities wanted to expand, hypothetically, why Michigan City over say Chesterton or Portage?

Posted by: outsider Mar 15 2015, 10:05 PM

Do you think Blue Chip blindly picked Michigan City from a map? Not hardly, the city aggressively engaged them and agreed to demolish an entire neighborhood to accommodate it, hence, "creating the climate." Why would a casino want to come to a "ghetto" and a city where the median household income is $40,000 then sit a barge in a creek that is marginally wider than the vessel and can only travel 100 feet? Remember? The casino was looking for a Lake Michigan location where the riverboat could travel for hours at a time. The Trail Creek Corridor Plan, Blocksom and



If memory serves me - No one picked MC for a casino or any other casino site. MC and the other sites were awarded a casino by state legislation. The casino operators did lobby the state for particular sites but no deals were made with individual localities until the state approved all the sites. No state licenses were granted until circa 1992 or 1993. Several of the casino operators did make aggressive moves in the late 1980's by acquiring land - Blue Chip land was acquired as early as 1988 which was the year that Indiana voters chose to amend the state constitution to allow lotteries (casinos were a stretch but they smelled opportunity). The Canada neighborhood was being purchases by three different operators at the time whom all assumed either land based or riverboat gambling would be legal someday in a format consistent to what other states were doing.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 17 2015, 04:25 PM

Blue Chip casino was actively pursing a lakefront location where the vessel could travel freely. I cant remember all the details but I can distinctly remember talk of a location near Nipsco being utilized. Trail Creek was sort of a compromise. Fundamentally the point at hand remains that conditions were contrived to create an ideal situation where hosting a casino could become viable.

Posted by: Hypnotic Mar 17 2015, 04:39 PM

I guess we are at an impasse as I see a university as a regional investment where you see it as being reliant upon Michigan City proper to staff and attend it. Where does Westville prison find it's staff? Where does P.N.C.? There are a great number of underemployed college graduates in the area anyway. I know a woman with a Master's in Education who managed the uniform outlet. The institution itself would attract potential candidates to the area. *Example, Dr's wouldn't show up in Westville to work on their own volition. Build a regional hospital and look, There are now a bunch of Dr.s in Westville.

As for why not Chesterton or Portage, that goes to my other point. The location needs to entice the institution and appeal to their needs presenting the ideal climate and securing the best offer possible.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Mar 17 2015, 06:14 PM

I would love to see a university locate here, but I still don't see any evidence that Michigan City could offer more for a university wanting a new location, versus the other towns in the area.

I have no problem saying it would be a great thing for Michigan City, but again this is a two way street... why would this be a better place for the university? To me I don't see a solid reason why a university would rather open up here, and wait for candidates to eventually get here, versus opening in a place that already has the demographics to instantly support the institution, both from a staffing and an educational attendee standpoint. They aren't looking to be a communities welfare check. They are looking to expand their own footprint in the most efficient way possible for the university.

Finally, I don't know of any university in the State of Indiana that is actively looking to expand in the first place. We all know Purdue is actually looking to cut costs by combining adminstration at PNC and PurdueCal. So who else? Indiana has campuses in both South Bend and Gary already, so cross them off of the list. I don't see it.

Posted by: outsider Mar 17 2015, 08:24 PM

The City was not seeking a casino at the time. The casinos were speculating on future laws and were buying land all over the place. Michigan City government or Chamber did not enter the mix until years later after the lottery law was passed.

Which brings me to my next point. A lot of businesses do relocate without consultation of local business development offices and local governments. Happens all the time.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 17 2015, 09:31 PM

Michigan City got the casino because Porter county voted down the referendum in November of 1993. If the referendum would have passed in Porter county the casino would be in Burns Ditch in Portage today.

I remember a casino called Isle of Capri was originally going to get the license. I remember the woman who was the public relations rep for Isle of Capri stayed here for a short time and had some sort of position with the chamber of commerce. I can't remember her name for the life of me but remember that she was really pretty.

Posted by: taxthedeer Mar 26 2015, 07:50 PM

Bids are now being accepted to tear down the Flamingo Record Store on Michigan Blvd. and the former Westside Liquor store on Willard Ave.

Posted by: taxthedeer Apr 2 2015, 08:35 PM

The former crumbling former Flannigan Tire Building at 9th and Ohio St. has been torn down. That property is going to become the Marquette High School soccer complex.

Posted by: lovethiscity Apr 3 2015, 04:49 AM

And that is right across the street from the very cool MCK Car Wash

Posted by: Hypnotic Apr 6 2015, 10:43 AM

I was very surprised and elated to see that big, what I assume to be a new hotel in Lifeworks Business Park going up. This one completely caught me off guard. They are currently on the 4th story. I hope they go 6 or 7 but I saw they had the elevator shaft built up only slightly higher than the forms for the walls. I think it might top out at 4 stories. The Hampton Inn near New Buffalo is 5 or 6 stories and has a nice presence from the highway. It appears significantly larger than Country Inn and Suites & Microtel. It looks as though it will be a Fairfield, Hilton Garden Inn, or Marriot (Courtyard). Not a budget brand hotel. I doubt Hampton or Holiday Inn would want to get back into the Michigan City market.

In the "South Side Study" they have recommended that the city attract architecturally significant "landmark" type structures to be visible from 94 to establish an identity to motorists. I hope this is the first of many to come. I was just super-critical of how I.U. and Holladay Properties have handled this venture. This is the first building in 7 years to be built. I wish that the Lake City Bank deal did not fall through as they had plans to build a 5 story bank in front of the medical building....


I hope we get a few suburban office type buildings in the 8-12 story range off of 94. Similar to Downers Grove or even Merrillville.

Posted by: taxthedeer Aug 12 2015, 05:59 PM

I see that Ball St. is going to conduct a $11,000 study on the Eastport area.

I will give the results of my study free of charge.

In order to better serve the residents of that section of the city the following needs to be developed:

-grocery store
-hardware store
-full service auto parts store
-self service laundromat

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/news/article_3c3e87a0-405e-11e5-872d-83156d6967a6.html

STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY....

Posted by: taxthedeer Sep 15 2015, 11:10 AM

Happy to see the old and abandoned Flamingo Record Store on the Boulevard has been demolished.

Posted by: taxthedeer Sep 16 2015, 04:39 PM

West Side Liquors on Willard Ave. has been demolished as well.

Posted by: Hypnotic Nov 11 2016, 10:39 PM

They just broke ground on this new $20 million senior assisted living facility by 'Vermilion Acquisitions' on U.S. 35 across from the Kia dealership. Not that the people would know seeing the News-Dispatch is worthless. It's so typical with it's 4 stories, lack of architectural competency and a 55' roof height making this another version of Microtel, Country Inn and Suites and the new Hampton Inn. As with all the aforementioned projects and along with the new Franciscan hospital going up on I-94 these buildings are god-awful. I wish they both would have scrapped the L shape and just built 8 and 10 story buildings with much better design elements. For nearly $200 million the new Franciscan Alliance hospital could have become the tallest hospital in Northwest Indiana. If they would have reduced the footprint and went upward similar to LaPorte Hospital they could have conceivably reached 12-16 stories which would be a towering presence along the interstate and would have given Michigan City a regional distinction and recognition that was far reaching and extremely inspiring for new future investors.


They are in the later stages of planning with the new "Elston's Legacy" Apartments on the former Memorial Hospital property which are allegedly "upscale" rentals that have 40 units with ground-level hidden parking garages and retail fronting Pine St and open space. From what I am hearing and seeing they will look almost exactly like the above image of the assisted living center or very similar to Valpo's "Uptown East" 4 story apartments for students which are again abysmal and uninspiring. The materials will be cheap brick, block and flexicore as stated by the developer Paul Dresden.

Craig Phillips and company from trends I see taking place are only interested in making Michigan City into Valpo 2.0

These are examples of small-unit apartment buildings Michigan City should strive to bring to it's downtown rather than carbon copies of the lifeless projects that have sprung up around Valparaiso and Notre Dame Universities which is also exactly what Portage is planning to erect in the coming years.








The above images are the type of buildings and design level the city should be striving to develop and the minimal standards they should hold any architects to. These are prime locations but I digress. We will get boring run of the mill 4/5 stories at most and ground-floor retail buildings with value engineered to death materials and the most elementary architecture. Requiring the standard illustrated in the images above would give Michigan City a major edge over the competition and solidify itself as offering the most iconic and premier downtown living space on the market in Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan. A development with 4-6 of these-type buildings would offer a luxury lifestyle with amenities not available anywhere else in Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan and at a much cheaper cost of living. This density would produce heavy foot-traffic to the 'Arts-District,' Lighthouse Mall and lake. This is extremely doable, there is a market. Michigan City must do the marketing and recruitment work with the right master developer and offer to help with funding of infrastructure and offer tax abatements. This would definitely give Michigan City a vast leap beyond the competing Portage/Valpo/South Bend-Mishawaka/Elkhart who are all boasting their own thorough revitalization plans. This would create a "Transit Oriented Development/District" on a scale that is unseen outside of Chicago.

There is no market saturation and Michigan City would fill a mountainous void with these high-end developments and here we have very modern urban designs made of high-end urban materials like steel, concrete and glass curtain walls with facade material and massing variance in the mid-rise 8-12 story range which would flourish in tandem with the NICTD double tracking and the current migration trends of people fleeing the Chicago Burbs.

Our potential far exceeds that of our neighbors and it's up to us to communicate it and not settle for average or mundane. The City's investment in raising test scores and partnering with colleges is working and investments in the technology sector to diversify the economy is in the works to replace the living wage manufacturing jobs that have long been gone and Michigan City on it's current course will have a significant number of residents to perform these intellectual jobs and thus, will require a higher standard of housing which could help add viability to like projects outside of uber-rich Chicagoan's looking for second homes and ex-burbians searching for a lower cost of living.


The City is spending millions to adopt these studies like the 421 South Franklin Plan and the award winning Lake Michigan Gateway Implementation Strategy but they are lacking any additional or original vision what-so-ever. They are simply copying letter by letter every recommendation within the documents and failing to attract or implement any ideas from developers with a contradictory vision for the North and South Ends. These studies while helpful should have been used only as rough-guides rather than actual blue-prints as the city is treating them. Franklin Square is filled with massive grey fields and empty corner lots/fields while the city is doing nothing to bring in dense development to these areas and can't even fill all the empty storefronts currently vacant.

I have sources who are tasked with developing the property of the former police station and News Dispatch building after demolition and its no secret the plan is for a 10 story hotel atop a 4 story covered parking structure so it will probably stand in the 150-180 ft. range with the purpose being a full-service high-end hotel providing lake views if financing is secured and a tenant is found. The company is already working on other projects in the city and has a solid track record but they have never planned, designed or built a high-rise before so I am skeptical.

I was very positive and highly encouraged by the millions the city is investing in redeveloping the majority of the city but with the money being invested the return on investment from a design and wow standpoint have all just been huge value engineered missed opportunities like the Michigan Boulevard revitalization that missed the mark on so many levels it's laughable. The new police station is another swing and miss with it's location and site plan. Building it into a hill to hide 40% of the building is ridiculous and facing west on the lot is pitiful. The best angles of the building are invisible to traffic or pedestrians and you have to drive into a residential neighborhood to see it's true size, shape and value. I will say the design is actually note-worthy however but indeed wasted.

If Michigan City really plans on becoming the"premier lakefront destination with regional tourism" they better ditch the bland, cookie-cutter uninspiring low-rise developments and actually demand a certain quality of architecture that is relevant if not game-changing and they need buildings with more height to view the lake. You can literally go to Valpo, Portage, Mishawaka and (or) any number of other lakefront cities to see the package Michigan City is currently engineering. I thought they were serious about setting themselves apart and offering an experience like nothing else in the Wisconsin-Indiana-Illinois area with cutting edge architecture, mid and high rise developments as laid out by Lohan Andersen and major attractions with year-round capabilities. It is still early days for all of this but the path they are on is just regurgitated Valpo/Portage/South Bend/Mishawaka gentrified, suburban corniness and naivety when they have an opportunity to build a dense urban core with avant garde eateries, shops and cafe's. High-end dining and a walkable downtown with a blend of mixed-use mid and high rise buildings that offer a unique street-level experience found in metropolises where the people live/work and of course bring in tourism dollars in the millions.

Tracy Cross killed the city building high-rises with a negative feasibility study performed in the middle of the worst recession since the great depression. No effort on behalf of the city to take a new look in this climate with the projected $1 billion in public and private investment coming into downtown after the NICTD double track takes 45 minutes off of the Chicago commute. I know perfectly well in adition to my other proposals for the city it could also support a signature 25-30 story mixed-use high-rise tower with office, retail, rentals and condos on the city's North end along with the planned 14 story hotel. There is a large enough leakage from Chicago's suburbs and enough second-home buyers along with upper-middle class MC day-trippers that would jump at the chance to live/work/stay in a 300 ft. tower with great views of Chicago and the lake.

Rant over. I hope the powers that be read this post and take note and really give it consideration while asking themselves, does the plans they are unfolding and the scale, quality and design of their developments they approve and cheerlead really represent Michigan City's goals of becoming a World-Class city regionally or even nationally beloved and treasured. If they are honest with themselves I think they would say no. I do not want to see the city falling into the trap of building what's quick, cheap, common and feasible for the moment when they could build this city to become the industry leading destination well into the future with the right urban planning and investing in marquee projects on a much larger scale and scope than their current vision allows.

Posted by: diggler Nov 12 2016, 07:56 AM

MC should seriously consider having a Trump Tower by the lake. This area is poised to be the premier hospitality center of the Midwest.

_

Posted by: Hypnotic Nov 14 2016, 05:45 AM

^^ The redevelopment and planning commissions need to partner with serious and committed major master developers like CMK, BKL, SOM, Related Midwest and Perkins + Will who are qualified and vastly experienced in planning, design and building large-scale modern urban developments all over the world. The city running to Tracy Cross, Hitchcock, Holladay Properties and Haas and Associates for every potential development is creating suburban sprawl that is grossly under-utilizing and neglecting our most prized assets and prime development sites.


The Riverline development in Chicago on an apporpraite scale would be ideal for the Trail Creek Corridor.:



Below is "Atrium Village" that would be perfect for redevelopment of the former Memorial Hospital site:




Obviously these would need to be scaled back to realistic proportions for Michigan City with towers varying in height from the 8 to 20 story range with row housing and low-rise town home developments to fill the gaps and add density.

The city needs to be ultra ambitious and Rich Murphy has said they are working to "create a world class city". "A small town comfort with a big city look and feel"...

This is achievable and the Warren Building only at 7 floors is beautiful at night with the illuminated crown contrasting against the night sky and colored lights casting up the building which at 75 feet is viewable from varying vantage points in the city and projects a big city perception to pedestrians and commuters. At street level it gives the downtown a prominence and big-city dimension that I haven't seen in my lifetime. This why the city must attract further development even taller within the 12 to 20 story range throughout the downtown area with visually stunning design and high-end materials that swallow up these city-killing surface parking lots and empty corner lots all through the downtown.


I don't know who is giving them the impression that 4 and 5 story cookie-cutter apartments and public art displays like giant umbrellas and beach balls in public plazas are "world class". We have an opportunity to develop a truly "world class city" with the right design, developers and public and private support.

The city should work endlessly to create a dense and vibrant downtown core by attracting mixed use projects to the area with properly scaled versions of the examples of the Chicago projects I posted. The city is grossly under-utilizing these prime development sites and once they are built with the currently planned lack-luster small-scale suburban sprawl type projects the opportunity is lost for generations to come.

A truly "world class" Michigan City would have an appropriate scale skyline similar to Schaumburg in density but more modern and thinner & taller offering more diverse architecture, multiple modes of public transportation, a comprehensive river-walk, defined shopping, entertainment, tourist and dining districts, institutions for higher learning and interactive public squares featuring displays more memorable than sculptures that you can't determine what it is supposed to even be as we see popping up all over the north-end.

Like I said because of our lakefront, proximity to Chicago, lighthouse mall and casino which has already proven a high-rise is sustainable in Michigan City and adds a lot to our image places us in a unique position to develop "big-city" projects that no other comparable city in the region could realistically undertake. The NICTD double tracking project makes us a competitor of the western Chicago Suburbs that are light-years ahead of Northwest Indiana so there is no excuse. Young Professionals, artists, students, empty nesters and entrepreneurs would want to reside within the North End in droves if Michigan City produces the modern lakefront "big city experience" I have outlined.

Posted by: Hypnotic Nov 14 2016, 07:38 AM

Wake up Craig Phillips and Richard Murphy!!!



^^^^^^ This is how you design an "upscale" 40-Unit apartment building and exactly what Michigan City needs to emulate on the Memorial Hospital site where you're building "Elston's Legacy." This building is visually stunning, architecturally significant, urban, classy, modern and utilizes a small footprint pushing upwards rather than out. Four of these buildings and you will create a neighborhood offering the most luxurious and exclusive mid-rise living in our region.




^^^^^^This Valpo recycled brick and precast trash going up in every Northwest Indiana town is not "world class" or urban in the slightest. Please demand higher quality than brick, block and flexicore for this prime downtown location. There is no "big city look & feel" created by these cheap substandard commercial designs.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Nov 17 2016, 03:00 PM

Interesting thoughts about the architecture. While I would be much happier to see unique building done, take the library for example, but a part of me is just thrilled to see some progress.

Posted by: Hypnotic Nov 18 2016, 04:44 PM

I am eagerly awaiting the renderings for these 4 "upscale" apartment buildings but according to the developer Paul Dresden the materials being used already tells me what they will undoubtedly look like. Though I do agree with you that it is nice to finally see some progress. I guess even if they are horribly commercially designed and insignificant it beats an empty field. Though it must be stated that this is an almost negligent under-utilization of a prime downtown site.

Another trap they will fall into is making the four buildings identical. In a modern urban environment, these buildings should vary in look and preferably not even resemble one another while they all possess the same high standard in materials, quality and design. I would like to see contrast with each building offering something the others do not and thus providing a variety of styles. floorplans and amenities giving the purchasers options and a debate yet they couldn't go wrong with choosing any of them.


Example:

This is how I would envision a mid-rise upscale apartment development to offer real 'world-class' design in an urban setting to create an exclusive atmosphere and raise demand. The city must defeat "value engineering" which creeps up in every project the city partakes in at all costs if we are to be seriously posturing to become THE 'exclusive and premier' lake-front destination.




Building four units similar to these in a dense single site would look amazing juxtaposed against one another and create an absolutely awesome backdrop for pedestrians and motorists with as I said, no sacrifices in quality for the tenants and each building would be unique in it's own right independent of the other buildings. People with money would flock to this site in droves as it would be leaps and bounds above what our region is offering. As I write this I am sure we will get four identical, cookie-cutter precast and brick boxes with no styling and architecturally lame. I wish the Redevelopment Commission would see this post and take it iunder serious advisement.


The thing that irks me about this process though is that the city has spent millions on studies over the years and the "Lohan Andersen Trail Creek Corridor Plan", "The Andrews University North End Plan" and the "Downtown Action Agenda by Hyett Palma" all highly stressed the city demanding nothing less than "unique" and "world class" architecture with high-end materials for mixed-use, mid and high rise developments.

I believe that the Redevelopment Commission is ignoring this critical element of innovative and stunning design with high-end materials while settling for what our neighbors/competitors are already doing. Which is unfortunately, cheap, uninspiring and bland.

There has been multiple master-plans for the 6.5 acre Memorial Hospital site which called for office, retail, condos, rentals, an Ivy Tech or PNC campus along with open spaces in a mid-rise village community.

The Elston's Legacy development is only 2 of the 6.5 acres so maybe and hopefully the city utilizes the rest of the site in accordance with what the experts have all proposed.

The library design is absolutely amazing and the legendary Helmut Jahn is one of my favorite architects. I would like to see the city commission work from other and more extraordinary talents like Frank Gehry, Jeanne Gang or Robert AM Stern for example, for the larger developments like the mixed-use high-rise tower proposed on the former News Dispatch and Police Station sites and the new, soon to come, "Entertainment District" and riverwalk.

The Mayor said NICTD will be building a "state of the art" train station for Michigan City on 11th street but from every proposal rendering I have seen they are simply renovating the already pre-existing old station in some form and is far from "state of the art". I hope that these were just "placeholder" designs to give residents and stakeholders something to gaze over as they are going into advanced design and engineering phases in 2018 so I'm sure nothing is settled yet and the Mayor is of course privy to information the public isn't so hopefully an entirely new construction project will take place. A Jeanne Gang designed train station would make national headlines for Michigan City. Everything she does is mesmerizing and a public work of art. We would be on the architectural map with a Studio Gang designed public transit hub/train station.

I fear that those of us in Michigan City who truly study, appreciate and live and breathe urban planning/development have entirely different definitions and expectations of what constitutes "unique", "significant", "world-class", "visionary", "upscale" or "high-end" than the Redevelopment Commission and the Mayor believes along with the majority of developers who have approached the city to date. I believe that they are under the impression that every half-baked idea that looks like progress will be swooned over and gobbled up by the residents as we praise their efforts and ask for more mediocrity due to our long battle with stagnation and disinvestment.

The city has one chance to get this right and is going to be investing $10's of millions in public funds and in some cases giving away land to spur these developments. When they are actively and purposely throwing around marketing words like, "world class" "best lakefront destination in the region"..."Big city look and feel"..."an unrivaled experience" "the premier Midwest destination" and "Atlantic City of the Midwest" they better bring in some people who have vast experience in large-scale urban planning and architectural understanding & appreciation.

Lastly, the city is largely marketing to rich Chicagoan's who are surrounded daily by perhaps the most eclectic collection of buildings in the most architecturally significant city on the planet. These are people who understand and appreciate exclusivity and will pay the premiums which accompanies prominent and visionary design. You can't offer up 4/5 story boxes with pre-cast and brick facades with no styling what-so-ever and refer to them as "upscale" or pretend to be fulfilling a supposed vision of offering the greatest resort destination and premier lakefront city in the region.

Posted by: Hypnotic Nov 19 2016, 12:58 AM

I forgot to add that I.U. has broken ground on a 7,000 sf medical building and after hours clinic plus a new Laporte County Library-Community Center will be replacing the old one on the corner of Johnson and Schultz Rd's in Coolspring Township. Equipment is on site and the concrete foundation has been poured for the medical building. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find renderings anywhere for this and no sign with an image at the location.

This project was scaled back to only these two buildings after Laporte Hospital was purchased by CHS who scrapped the plans for the original convention center and fitness center that was supposed to have a pool and other amenities as part of the original plan with four buildings on the site.

I guess this counts as Michigan City development seeing it is a relatively major gateway to the city.

Posted by: diggler Nov 27 2016, 06:18 AM

Hotel building boom sweeping Northwest Indiana

Joseph S. Pete

One of Northwest Indiana’s largest and best-known hotels, the Radisson at Star Plaza in Merrillville, will get torn down early next year and replaced with a more upscale hotel with about 100 fewer rooms.

But despite the downsizing of one prominent property, developers have not been at all reserved about booking new hotel projects across Northwest Indiana.

Three new hotels opened in Northwest Indiana this year, and more than a dozen additional hotel projects are planned or already under construction. Developers have announced more than $73 million in investment in new hotels and more than 1,200 new rooms across the Region.

Horizon Bank Lake County Market President Rob Gardiner said the hotel industry is cyclical and has benefited from a strong economy. The Michigan City-based bank has financed local hotel projects in recent years.

“A strong economy drives both personal travel for recreational purposes and business travel for employees to do jobs and market their business,” Gardiner said.

“In addition, in good economic times travelers look for better quality places to stay and are willing to pay extra for nicer, more convenient or more interesting places to stay. I think you are seeing the combination of good economic times and a desire for more choices.”

New hotels currently are planned in Hammond, Munster, Crown Point, Highland, Merrillville, Portage, Whiting, Chesterton, Michigan City and LaPorte. The proposed hotels don’t have the conference space the Radisson did and don’t aim to bring in conventions for out-of-towners.

Instead, they’re more targeted at leisure travelers seeking respite just off the interstate, or business people who might be in town long enough for a sojourn in an extended-stay room.(tncms-asset)6109ec18-b1b5-11e6-ba43-00163ec2aa77(/tncms-asset)

Total investment in new hotel projects, some of which are still in the early planning stages, is on pace to easily surpass $100 million in Northwest Indiana over the next few years. The boom in new hotel construction also should mean a boost in employment, since the average hotel in Lake County employs around 25 workers, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.

To put the current hotel boom in context, Lake County added six new hotels in the 11 years between 2004 and 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nine new Lake County hotels opened or were announced in 2016 alone.

“You have noticed a trend toward construction of hotels nearer to medical facilities and neighborhoods to serve out-of-town visitors for when family members need medical services or weddings, parties for special events or holiday gathers,” Gardiner said.

“These travelers like to have options away from the major interchanges. Workers traveling from out of town generally prefer some of the extended-stay choices.”

Improving perception

Northwest Indiana, long plagued by negative perceptions, also is drawing more visitors from the greater Chicago area and beyond, said Micah Pollak, assistant professor of economics at Indiana University Northwest.

“Visitors are being attracted by everything from the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, major festivals like Pierogi Fest, apple orchards, the growing microbrewery industry and more,” he said. “There has also been a rise in general interest in the Region as property taxes continue to increase in Illinois.”

Northwest Indiana is a major economic region with a dynamic convention and visitors bureau that’s drawing visitors with youth sports, leisure travel and business meetings, said Patrick Tamm, president and CEO of the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association.

All the hotel projects are a vote of confidence in the local economy and also a reflection of a broader trend, Tamm said. New hotels have been springing up across the state, especially in metro areas like Indianapolis, Evansville and New Albany-Jeffersonville.

“Over the last couple of years, hotel investment has kicked into high gear,” he said.

“The cost of money is low. Developers often see hotels as complementing a big office park, a lifestyle center or a mixed-used development. They develop hotels, oftentimes with a restaurant. ... Hotels are key stakeholders in spurring new economic development.”

Showing a fresh face

Hotels need to be periodically replaced with fresher buildings, because they start to show age after seven years and become very dated after 25 years, Gardiner said.

National chains require franchisees to have newer properties to keep their brand names looking contemporary. Communities across Northwest Indiana also have been increasingly seeking hotels to bring visitors and more outside spending at youth sports complexes, craft breweries and festivals.

Banks have been willing to lend for such projects, especially when well-capitalized and helmed by experienced operators, Gardiner said.

“Like any business, being successful is harder than it looks, and hotels have a very high level of fixed costs that have to be paid, even if occupancy is very low,” he said.

“Once a hotel is able to reach good, consistent occupancy, they can provide very good investment returns to investors and be acceptable credit risks to lenders.”

Nationally, hotels are on pace for another record-breaking year, said Aaron McDermott, president of Schererville-based Latitude Commercial. The national hotel occupancy rate reached an all-time record 65.3 percent last year, and is 65.7 percent so far in 2016, according to STR Inc. data.

Hotel occupancy nationwide dipped as low as 54.6 percent during the Great Recession but is typically over 60 percent when the economy is humming along, according to STR statistics.

“Locally, I believe there had been a hesitancy to build anything so the demand for higher quality and newer brands finally caused the growth to start,” McDermott said.

“We were still recovering from the recession so you still saw a lot of turnover of existing products just like you saw in other sectors. There was also a hesitancy to lend on new construction for a number of sectors particularly in the hospitality market that caused the pent-up demand of new products.”

Confidence builds hotels

Hospitality development slowed considerably during the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, as projects got delayed or dropped entirely, said Greg Gordon, a vice president and business banking group manager at Centier Bank, which has financed hotel projects like the Hilton Homewood Suites Extended Stay Hotel in Munster and a Hilton DoubleTree in Lafayette.

New construction and remodeling work in the hotel sector fell off for years, Gordon said. The rebound in hotel construction in Northwest Indiana has just been a microcosm of what’s occurred nationally.

“Because hotels tend to be large projects that require a significant amount of upfront planning and development, this created a four- or five-year period of very little hotel development in the local market,” Gordon said.

“As market conditions improved there was then somewhat of a race to meet the market, and construction activity picked up dramatically and that is still continuing today.”

Bankers balked at lending for new hotels because of concerns about the overall economy, Gordon said. But unmet demand piled up and opportunity emerged in the market.

“The forces of supply and demand then take over and activity picks up,” he said. “Banks began lending again on projects with strong sponsors and owners and viable franchises.”

Both Gordon and Gardiner credited the U.S. Small Business Administration’s SBA 504 program for facilitating hotel financing in recent years by reducing risk to lenders.

But there’s also demand created as hotel chains look to grow and replace aging facilities in the Region, Gordon said.

“All of the major hotel chains are rolling out new and interesting product types these days as competition drives the need for innovation in the hotel industry,” Gordon said.

“Hotels are really all about their individual markets and right now Northwest Indiana still has some unmet demand and a need for newer inventory and this has brought some strong operators to the Region.”

Under served no more

Some of the new hotel construction is driven by demand in communities that have been under served, Micah Pollak, of IUN, said. Munster, population 23,000, had only a single hotel until the expansion of Community Hospital created more demand.

And Crown Point, which has 28,000 residents and sits on the busy Interstate 65 highway, does not currently have a single hotel. Hawk Development, however, now is planning a 100-room to 130-room hotel as part of its $100 million Galleria Center on 109th and Delaware Parkway.

“Part of the reason these areas have been historically under served is local resistance to hotels locating in the city,” Pollak said.

“Over time, opposition has been decreasing as the need for hotel space becomes more apparent at the same time as hotels are more willing to adhere to stricter quality, pricing and aesthetics standards.”

Northwest Indiana also is a major transportation hub with Interstates 80, 90, 94, and 65, Pollak said. Travelers often prefer new hotels when they pull off the highway for some rest.

“We have an incredible amount of traffic both to and from Chicago as well as from across the nation pass through the Region,” he said.

“Many of the existing hotels in Merrillville and Hammond, as well as some of the new construction such as at Kennedy in Hammond, are located along these highways in part to serve these travelers.”

Posted by: Hypnotic Dec 2 2016, 11:06 PM

That is good news for the region and I hope Michigan City sees some benefit from this hotel boom. The Hampton Inn off of 94 really looks nice from the interstate and coming over the bridge. The lighting of the crown at night is classy and a cut above every other hotel in the city barring Blue Chip. I don't want to see a hotel alley eating up all the lots but 2 or 3 more high end hotels hopefully 6 to 8 stories from Hilton or Marriott would compliment the area near the hospital nicely.

We greatly need some mid-rise professional office buildings with financial institutions along 94 as well. Something like Merril Lynch, Morning Star or Charles Schwab.

Posted by: Hypnotic Dec 3 2016, 01:28 AM

I wonder what's going on at Belle Tire that's under construction next to the old Office Max. There hasn't been any workers or equipment on site for weeks and the building has stalled with no additions in a month.

Sonic and Popeye's have also had their permits to build in Dunes Plaza for a year now and they have not had any action on the sites. I cannot understand why development in Michigan City is so slow.

Elston's Legacy apartments has been in pre-development for nearly a year and may not break ground for another four or five months and unfortunately the project is being phased in one building at a time until each building reaches stabilization. This could conceivably take 3 or 4, maybe even 5 years to complete all four buildings.

Lifeworks Business Park has been an embarrassment for Holladay Properties/I.U. with only 3 occupants out of 12 lots in 10 years!?!...... Valpo's business parks fill up seemingly over night.

Also, the city took control of the former Police station and News Dispatch buildings 15 months ago and demolition may not be complete until late Spring 2017. 18 months to demolish two buildings is absurd.

Posted by: Hypnotic Dec 3 2016, 03:01 AM

Here's an updated list of projects under contruction or proposed for Michigan City. Many from the first page have been completed.

Under Construction:

Franciscan Hospital



Under Construction:

Silver Birch Assisted Living





Proposed:

North end mixed-use high rise with lake views, 4 story glass covered parking podium, hotel, retail, condo/rentals on the former News Dispatch and police station site.



As you can see from the rendering relocating City Hall is a must. The city better not let this building proposal be scaled back to a low-rise or value engineered to death. A well designed glass clad building would be beautiful in this location. If developers the Redevelopment Commission is working with are unwilling or unable to build it then the city needs to find one who possesses the means. Anything less would be a tremendous miss. This would compliment Blue Chip Tower and place Michigan City far ahead of Valpo/Portage giving us the start of a skyline. With another 2 or 3 towers surpassing 10 stories in addition to this one downtown Michigan City would be phenomenal.

Proposed:

South Shore Station, 11th St.



Luckily the rendering of the station says concept only and not final as this would be the opposite of "state of the art"..... I can't believe NICTD is committing $1.5 million with the city picking up any additional costs to preserve that ugly white stone facade and attach it to the new station. That could be a couple million used toward a brand new facility. That facade is grotesque and irrelevant both culturally and historically. There is no sense in allocating that much money for what is essentially trash. This is not the Parthenon!


I think a mixed use high rise on the former Works Building site next to Lighthouse Mall where there is an empty field would be an ideal location and perfect for 2-3 floors of retail, an I Max theater, restaurants/nightlife venues with upper story hotel space, office and residential floors with views of the lake and city.

MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Posted by: taxthedeer Jan 19 2017, 10:50 AM

Got a good chuckle when I read this sign on 8th St. next to the county government offices. It reads "Coming 2016" and shows a brand new shopping center but there isn't a damn thing there.

Posted by: diggler Jan 23 2017, 03:25 PM

Michigan City to copy Valparaiso's downtown plaza

Stan Maddux Times Correspondent

MICHIGAN CITY — Michigan City is moving forward with plans for a plaza to enhance the revitalization of its downtown.

Two of the few buildings that remain empty will be torn down to create space for its construction, which probably won't be finished until next year, Mayor Ron Meer said.

"If things stay on schedule, there could be some demolition work yet this winter," Meer said.

Hitchcock Design Group of Chicago has already presented preliminary plans for the plaza at Seventh and Franklin streets near the former Warren Building converted last year into living space for more than 40 artists.

The idea is to generate traffic by having live music and other events at the plaza on more than 50,000 square feet of open space.

Plans call for amenities like an elevated stage and a portable ice skating rink to be replaced with outdoor tables and chairs from spring to fall.

A building for concessions and restrooms, along with a fountain, fire pits and decorative lights are included in the plans.

Even before the plaza is completed, Meer said it's possible the space could start being used this year to help stage events like the Taste of Michigan City and boat parade as part of the annual Great Lakes Grand Prix powerboat races on Lake Michigan.

Meer said a plaza is among the many economic development strategies being followed to make Michigan City a higher quality place to be.

"Often people will say, 'There's lots of things to do in Michigan City. What about jobs?'" said Meer.

"When you're increasing the quality of life and investing in your community, that's how you get companies and businesses and corporations wanting to invest in your city," he said.

The planned plaza seems to have strong support among downtown business owners, who feel the traffic it would bring is much better than having two vacant buildings that could be too far gone to ever rehabilitate.

"They've sat there empty for decades," said Jesse Cundiff, owner of Hoity Toity, a home decor store at Eighth and Franklin streets.

Cundiff, who once had interest in buying the structures until he went inside, said they're beyond repair unless a purchaser with the financial resources necessary for such an undertaking comes along, and that could take years.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Jan 24 2017, 01:16 PM

The tear down of 701-705 Franklin and building of the new plaza was approved last night by a 5-3 vote of the Historical Board.

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Jan 25 2017, 02:14 PM

The wreckers started taking down both the old MCPD station and the old News Dispatch building.

Posted by: Jesse B Jan 25 2017, 03:13 PM

Any truth to the rumor a gas station, another bank and a Chik-fil-A are going up on this site?

Posted by: Southsider2k12 Jan 25 2017, 03:40 PM

The rumor is high end mixed use development.

Posted by: taxthedeer Oct 19 2017, 04:33 PM

There is now a $9 millon project in the works to lower HWY 20 and build a runway extension overpass for the Michigan City Munipal airport so corporate jets could land.

Why not just land the jets at the Gary Airport and take the 40 minute drive to and from Michigan City. Their has been a multitude of commercial airliners that utilized the Gary airport in the past that have all come and gone.

Posted by: RustCoast Jan 10 2018, 04:45 PM

I recommend the Mich City redevelopment team take a weekend drive through the Indiana towns of Carmel and Columbus to help them form some idea of architectural vision. Then maybe pass through the S. Indy neighborhoods of Fountain Square and Bates-Hendrix to see how old home restoration mixed with modern style construction infill on vacant lots can revive old middle-worker class neighborhoods.
You don't have to look outside Indiana to see things being done right.

Posted by: taxthedeer Jan 10 2018, 06:32 PM

Great point.

Posted by: Hypnotic Jan 13 2018, 11:27 AM

Columbus is very unique as they had a billionaire benefactor who paid to commission renowned architects for public buildings and structures. Having said that, Michigan City sealed their fate when they looked no further than Valpo to hire their creative and development director. Was there any doubt what he was going to try to achieve in Michigan City? When I watch these meetings I laugh every time Craig Philips "recommends" the commission use Company "X" that he is familiar with from his Valparaiso days. Which is almost every project.

The city uses Holladay Properties for 2 business parks. How did they land another development deal after Lifeworks boasts a grand total of 3 businesses after 11 years. This is prime property along I-94 and it's a ghost town. Holladay is also in the final 3 potential master developers for redevelopment of the former police station site. All of their buildings, being a design/build firm are absolutely the same cookie-cutter designs, are value engineered to the hilt and are being built all over Northwest Indiana.

They have projects in Crown Point, Merrillville, Hobart, Valpo, Portage , Michigan City and La Porte. Every City is littered with the same lifeless quality they produce. A Mid to high Rise hotel with "lake views" is far beyond the scope of their work. They have no high end buildings in their national portfolio. The city uses the same few engineering firms like Kennig Keast Collabrative, Global and Haas for 99% of projects. The Michigan Blvd. project is an underwhelming mess. The median height and design, the plants and flowers, the traffic lights, street signs, intersections, etc, is all bad. For the money they spent one would expect something similar to the grand Chicago avenues.

The city needs to take a drive through Chicago to see how to develop. The interactive lighted structures along Michigan, State, Roosevelt and Wacker alone make for an amazing streetscape experience. Franklin Square is a joke. The decorations, "art displays" landscaping and streetviews miss on every level. Not to mention there is no night life in the downtown what-so-ever. All these liquor licenses and yet we only see run of the mill corner bars downtown. The Zorn Brewery is nice but way off the beaten path.

5 years to develop a 20,000 sq, ft. plaza? That is astonishing.

Posted by: Hypnotic Jan 13 2018, 12:17 PM

Woodruff and Son (surprise , Surprise) has broken ground on the Elston's Legacy apartment development on 6th & Pine. Heavy equipment is on the site and areas have been staked and the soil has been leveled. I'm sure this phase will last until late spring before we see any progress upward.

It's a shame these buildings were downsized from 44 high-end units to a laughable 18. The floor count was lowered from 4 floors to 3 as well. I've said multiple times this was a golden opportunity swung at and missed by the underachieving Redevelopment Commission and City Council. Of course no renderings have been released publicly but an architectural vision it will not be. The buildings will be built in phases with the following building not being built until the preceding reaches full capacity. This is dubious as I'm sure in this economy they could secure financing with lease agreements in the 30 to 40% range. It seems the developer is assuming 0 risk.

Paul Dresden pulled a major bait-N-switch from the initial announcement. This area is one of if not the best downtown location for luxury living. I would have liked to have seen 2 mixed use buildings in the 12 to 15 story range accompanied by 3, 4 and 5 level condos with ground floor retail. This site could have been an exclusive urban village drawing residents from all over the region.

I hope the city at some point builds a dense Brownstone/Greystone development within the downtown. I would be a buyer for sure. I read the article above about Michigan City struggling to attract young people. This is obvious, there are no living wage jobs, modern housing stock, night-life, universities, trade-schools, walk-ability or a dense urban core among many other factors.

The city claims to be serious about becoming a world class destination, every official says the planning is over its a time for action etc, and then they announce they are annexing 500 acres for homes and warehouses?!? Really? How about an auto plant, or a mill? Or some other union shop that hires trade workers? Toyota was just scouting Indiana locations, Amazon and others....I never heard one word about La Porte County or specifically Michigan City throwing any package together to become a possible destination.

I am a Union Millwright and I work all over the country. La Porte County and Michigan City is far, far behind similar locations in the Midwest. I worked in Michigan at the Lake Orion GM plant and that area is light years ahead of Northwest Indiana when it comes to manufacturing jobs, housing, roadways, colleges, shopping districts, professional services etc. Rochester Hills alone has multiple international companies.

Michigan city needs to get serious and start upping the ante. We need public officials with real experience in urban planning and economic development. We have some crack team with local experience only. Craig Philips, Ron Meer, Rich Murphy, Chuck Oberlie, Don Babcock, Silvestri? We need to scout talent from around the region and country who have been part of landmark developments and who have worked with major architectural and master development firms. What's taking place in Michigan City is so Mickey Mouse that when we are done, it could probably be said that this city and these officials wasted the greatest opportunity in it's history. I'd dust off the Lohan Andersen Trail Creek Plan and start there. Forget a $5 million, 5 year, 20,000 sq. ft. downtown plaza. We have more pressing issues.

Michigan City is the most underdeveloped city I have come across. I would love to hear a number put on it. I would wager that we have at least 5 square miles of undeveloped land within and on the outskirts of our city. We could be a mix of Traverse City/Shaumburg/Naperville and instead we are more or less La Porte with more shops and less living wage jobs.



Above is what Washington Park could be with the right planning and goals in place. The city does not even think on this level. We are 1 hour from an Alpha Global city and we are lucky to get a $2 million dollar pavilion. We are the result of stagnation and the same sacred cows controlling every move in this city for decades. In the 90's we get the 10 story condo tower on the beach and nothing since? nothing? How was that not followed up with more condo and hotel towers, apartments, restaurants, shops, parks, concert venues, a boardwalk, etc.? Now after decades, Hitchcock Design Group does a 20 year Washington Park Master Plan that is completely lackluster and calls for renovating current buildings and facilities and nothing about new private/public development within the park or along the beach like the picture above.

The Lohan Andersen Plan called for Aerial Trams, 3 High Rise towers, dense condo development and that's along a creek. This is Lake Michigan! lmao This is all a very sad joke The city owes the loyal residents who love this city and have stuck by it through the years and have dealt with poverty, high crime, menial work and no educational outlets. We should be on the cusp of a renaissance in this city with the right leadership and years from now we will still see the empty lots and and surface parking lots throughout our downtown. We will still have buildings that should have long been demolished somehow still proudly standing providing the same blight I saw as a child. We will still lose our best and brightest to out of state locations to seek higher education and high pay. We will also see the same tired beachfront with only minimal additions. Our roads will be two-way and our bridges will have giant flags though so that's a bonus, I guess.

Posted by: Hypnotic Jan 13 2018, 01:20 PM

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the City's most embarrassing and clueless moment this year in modernization and redevelopment by turning down La Porte County's offer to jointly build a new courthouse in Michigan City for $22 million with only $6 million coming from the city. Instead they will now senselessly spend $16 million renovating the current courthouse which inconveniently sits dead in the middle of the intended redevelopment area directly across from a planned mid-rise hotel. Need any further proof of incompetent urban planning in this city? I wouldn't have cared if the money came from my taxes, I would have gladly cheered them demolishing that awful courthouse. Why have a new police station, city hall and courthouse? Nothing like showing outside investors how serious you are when you won't even take risks or contribute to redevelopment outside of infrastructure yourself.

Oh, and the city employing facadism for the new "state of the art" train station, according to Ron Meer is another giant gaffe. That facade is hardly relative, intricate or worth saving. Now we will have some ho-hum design limited in its scope and scale because they must incorporate some contrived historical value piece that no one in the city remotely cares about. Why build an avant garde train station when you can preserve an unsightly history...

Posted by: taxthedeer Jan 15 2018, 04:58 PM

I am trying to take ownership of a couple vacant lots that I purchased at tax the recent tax sales an would love to donate them to an organization such as the Wounded Warrior Project, Homes for Vets or homes for our troops which custom builds the home specifically catered to the needs of a disabled veteran and their families.

Would like to try to work with the different service clubs (VFW, DAV, American Legion, Guradian Riders, Wall Gang etc.) and make it happen.



https://www.hfotusa.org/

Posted by: taxthedeer Jan 15 2018, 04:58 PM

I am trying to take ownership of a couple vacant lots that I purchased at tax the recent tax sales an would love to donate them to an organization such as the Wounded Warrior Project, Homes for Vets or homes for our troops which custom builds the home specifically catered to the needs of a disabled veteran and their families.

Would like to try to work with the different service clubs (VFW, DAV, American Legion, Guradian Riders, Wall Gang etc.) and make it happen.



https://www.hfotusa.org/

Posted by: outsider Jan 16 2018, 07:52 AM

Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County has a pot of money used for Veterans homes. There are income guidelines that have to be met. This affiliate has shared this money with other counties in the past. Contact your local Habitat for Humanity office and they can get in touch with the St. Joseph county office if you desire details.

Posted by: taxthedeer Jan 17 2018, 12:52 PM

If I ever take ownership of the lots I would like to try to meet with the different post commanders and leaders of the clubs to see if there is any interest in taking on such a project.

Posted by: Hypnotic May 18 2018, 12:03 AM

Hardee's (Midwest First Star) has submitted a request for a zoning variance in a B-2 district to construct a building at Franklin and Village Rd. in the lot next to I-Hop. Popeye's has submitted the same request for the property between Starbucks and Fannie May where the small white house sits currently. A source has said Popeye's has backed out however or at least never submitted architectural prints for a building. They were awarded approval to locate in Dunes Plaza near Sonic at the same time Sonic was approved so they are dragging their feet majorly. A location switch and stalling with the building dept.

The construction at Elston's Legacy Apartments on Pine is ridiculously slow. They've been at it for 4 months solid and still nothing vertical. 800 ft. buildings with 10 times the footprint in Chicago have their foundations layed out, drilled, poured, towers cranes erected and the core is rising in less time than this.

Posted by: Hypnotic Dec 8 2019, 12:57 AM

$45 Million 10 story condo designed by world class architect Dirk Lohan with 120 units, up-scale roof-top bar/restaurant with lake views and terrace, 7,000 Sq. Ft. ground floor retail. Groundbreaking scheduled for March 2020. Rent only $900-$1,200 for 1 & 2 bedroom units. Kudos to the city for finally getting it right and attracting a developer with vision and ambition while sticking true to their claim of turning Michigan City into a "world class" destination with world class architecture. This is only the beginning but a great example moving forward and the standard they should hold future projects to.


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