Community plan launches in local county
Thanks to a grant from the Wabash Valley Community Foundation, the plan was shaped through community input, gathering survey responses and public engagement sessions.
The plan focuses on four strategic pillars: those are infrastructure improvements, economic development, health, wellness & recreation and community identity & engagement.
'I've lived in Clay County all my life. And I think this plan is something that is very valuable to all of us, including myself. As it does give us direction and I think it will help us plan the way that we need to go,' said Paul Sindrs, county commissioner.
Officials say the plan aligns with state and regional initiatives such as the Readi program.
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Chicago Tribune
29-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Michigan developer proposing mixed use project with 54 houses and retail space in Burns Harbor
A Michigan developer is proposing a mixed-use development of 54 houses and retail space on 25 acres at Haglund Road and Indiana 149 in Burns Harbor. The Sloane Avenue Group and Redstone Group, a joint venture, have offered $25,000 to the town of Burns Harbor for the land. As part of the agreement, the developers would assume all costs of building the roads, sewers and utilities, along with soil analysis and wetland mitigation. There would also be 8,000 square feet of retail space built on the north end of the property. The developer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the only one to respond to a Request for Offer (RFO) advertisement from the town of Burns Harbor. The Burns Harbor Redevelopment Commission opened the bid at its June 18 meeting. The commission could announce at its July 9 meeting whether they will accept or reject the offer. Councilwoman Roseann Bozak, who is chair of the commission, denied a public records request from The Post-Tribune at the June 18 meeting to release details of the proposal. She cited that the offer needed to be reviewed first by legal counsel. Burns Harbor Town Attorney Clay Patton publicly released the details of the offer from The Sloane Avenue Group and The Redstone Group this week. The Sloane Avenue Group and Redstone Group stated that they are trying to maintain the affordability of homes on the site, which explains the $1,000 per acre offer for the 25 acres. The town in 2018 originally purchased 28 acres at Haglund Road and Indiana 149 for $250,000 from the Duneland School Corporation. 'We are asking the Redevelopment Commission to incentivize development via a reduced purchase price,' the offer states. 'It is essential for the end-numbers to work, and given high interest rates and elevated construction costs, a low land basis will allow us to stay focused on providing high quality homes at an approachable price.' The offer doesn't reveal what the potential costs would be for the roads, sewers, utilities and other amenities. In 2023, Burns Harbor had to decline a $960,000 state grant from the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), which would have paid for underground utilities. The reason for rejecting the grant was that Holladay Properties in 2023 withdrew from a $32 million partnership with the town to develop the property. That project would have been anchored by a new Burns Harbor Town Hall and community center alongside apartments, townhouses and retail space. Tina Rongers, the town's consultant, has said that this time around, 'The project will be developer-driven as opposed to a public-private partnership.' She said she didn't have an estimate on what the proposed infrastructure costs would be if they were all covered by Sloane Avenue Group and Redstone Group. The Sloane Avenue Group and Redstone Group state in their proposal that it has experience developing mixed-use projects in the region. Tryon Meadow is a proposed 218-unit community on 39 acres within a short driving distance to downtown Michigan City that includes single-family homes, townhomes and low-rise rental buildings. The developer also has a proposal for 160 single-family homes on 35 acres of land in LaPorte. The Hunter Woods subdivision would be located near the $1 billion Microsoft data center that is going to be built there. In Burns Harbor, the plan calls for a community of 54 single-family homes to be built south of the Marquette Greenway, which runs diagonally from the southwest to the northeast through the property. 'Our site plan concept is designed to create a tight-knit smaller community within the greater Burns Harbor community,' the plan states. Lennar Homes would be contracted to build the houses on lots which would be 45 feet wide and 120 feet long. The housing development would be accessed from two entrances off Haglund Road. 'These lot sizes strike a balance between density and affordability, as well as promote walkability in the neighborhood as wider lot sizes, in our opinion, isolate residents from one another,' the plan states. The 8,000 square feet of retail space would be north of the Marquette Greenway and have 80 parking spaces. It is envisioned that the businesses would serve local residents and tourists. When the Marquette Greenway is finished, it will stretch from Chicago to New Buffalo, Michigan, and is expected to become a tourist attraction, along with the state and national parks. North of the trail, there would still be 10 acres of open green space. The town also still owns an adjoining 4 acres, which could be the site of a future town building.
Chicago Tribune
01-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Valparaiso begins discussion of housing affordability problem
Valparaiso began addressing housing affordability with a symposium Thursday, the first step toward finding solutions. Capital Stacker founder Heather Presley-Cowen, who has helped Fort Wayne and other communities, outlined the housing situation in Valparaiso before guiding a panel discussion and a tabletop scenario exercise for participants. It's important to create a strategy and not just a study, she said. Often a study 'becomes the best thing that sits on the shelf from the mayor's office,' Presley-Cowen said. 'A study looks back,' but that's the rearview mirror, not where you're headed. A strategy looks forward, 'and looks in a visionary way at what's possible.' 'The goal is that this leads directly to implementation,' she said. When Presley-Cowan consults with communities, she often hears real estate agents say, 'We've got a month's work of inventory if we're lucky,' while municipal officials point to vacant lots still available on the edge of town. But the housing market has changed, she said. Half-acre lots aren't as desirable. 'Today's buyer and renter population, they're not looking for that anymore,' she said. In the past, blight elimination has involved tearing out housing stock that's no longer functional. 'There is really good infrastructure running right past that house,' she said, so infill development is important. In Wabash, the 14-acre site of the former Parkview Hospital was donated to the city when a new hospital was built. It was a good location, convenient to downtown and schools. 'Wabash has had no development in many, many years – in generations,' she said. 'It wasn't happening. The private sector wasn't doing it.' 'We densified it because we could get the infrastructure costs down,' Presley-Cowen said. With smaller lots, 44 units were able to bring down the per-unit cost. 'It sets the stage for others to do the same thing,' she said. The city established a residential tax increment financing district and used state READI dollars for infrastructure work. 'Today we have our first five units that are coming out,' she said. Unlike Valparaiso, Wabash needed more expensive housing. Valparaiso's median housing value is $284,700, she said, citing a study by Zimmerman/Volk Associates. 'Every single year, 3,620 households of all incomes are swirling around, looking to live in Valparaiso,' Presley-Cowen said, but many can't find what they're looking for. 'Over the next five years, we need close to 2,000 new units. That's conservative,' she said. The pace of home construction, however, is nowhere near that rate. 'If we can offer more density, we naturally start creating more affordability,' she said. The average rental cost in Valparaiso is roughly $1,400 to $2,000. But looking at average median incomes, it should be $800 to $1,500 to be affordable for typical workers making about $13 to $15 an hour, she said. 'We have lots of housing needs, and we have lots of price points to meet,' Presley-Cowen said. 'We need condos starting at $105,000. Do we have anything like that?' Panelists offered a variety of perspectives on the city's housing situation. Plan Commission President Matt Evans said MLS data show single-family home values have gone up 191% over five years. Center Township hasn't seen the needed growth in median-income homes. 'We are truly handcuffed through the lack of supply. If we had more homes, I am sure we could sell them,' he said. Developers are building $350,000 homes because they can make more profit per unit than with homes at lower price points, he said. Patrick Turner, principal owner and developer with Dynaprop, said when he moved to Valparaiso, it was very affordable. That has changed. He noted a person who listed his home for $25,000 over the real estate agent's recommendation and received multiple offers, selling it within a week for $14,000 over the asking price. Unlike some areas, Valparaiso doesn't have a lot of infill properties, said CoAction Executive Director Jordan Stanfill. Complicating the housing affordability issue is that numbers showing how much home a buyer should be able to afford don't factor in debts they might already have. 'Everyone has a couple of car loans, student debt, especially if they're moving into a $350,000-plus home in Valparaiso,' residential real estate agent Zane Galloway said. United Way of Northwest Indiana Executive Director Chris White noted the agency has been focused in recent years on a demographic referred to as ALICE – asset limited, income constrained, but employed. A single person in Porter County needs to make almost $15 an hour just to get by, he said. For a family of four, it's $80,000. 'If you lose a wheel on your car, that may have set you back for a month, over the next year, to recover from that,' he said. Through its Level Up program, United Way of Northwest Indiana is working to help raise family incomes, guiding individuals through education and other means to raise their incomes. But there's a long way to go. In Porter County, 36% of residents are below the ALICE threshold, and 10% are below the poverty level. People are being squeezed out because they can't afford to live here, he said. Affordability is a simple issue of supply and demand, Presley-Cowen said. The issue is how to increase the supply to meet demand. Employers should be involved in the conversation because they have a stake in ensuring their workers can live near where they work, she said. Lenders need to be involved in the discussion, too. The next step of the process is to engage stakeholders in focus groups to come up with suggestions that might work for Valparaiso. After that, it will be time to start focusing on solutions that would help spur the construction of less expensive homes. 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Chicago Tribune
25-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Portage RDC starts work on bond to open 450 acres to development; Marquette Greenway segment is included
The Portage Redevelopment Commission started the process of issuing a $10 million bond to pay for a bridge and other infrastructure improvements to open up about 450 acres on the city's north side for development. The RDC adopted a preliminary resolution for the bond Thursday, the first step in borrowing the money. The resolution covers hiring Barnes & Thornburg to do legal work for the bond. Redevelopment Director Dan Botich said the work includes connecting Burns Parkway to U.S. 12 from the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission office on Southport Road in the Ameriplex complex. The work is important not just for opening land for development but also for extending the Marquette Greenway, which will eventually stretch from Chicago to New Buffalo, Michigan. The roadway will become a boulevard similar to national park roads, Botich said. The $10 million would be the local share of the project's total cost. Botich is still looking for funds for the remainder, including a potential federal RAISE grant or state READI funding. Once the road is completed, the city could see a $450 million to $500 million investment in that 450 acres, Botich said. The state requires the city to have 'skin in the game,' he said, so the bond is needed. Further along in the process, specific projects will be listed, Botich said. Mayor Austin Bonta said the city investigated other avenues for funding the road and trails, and the bond seemed the most appropriate option. 'You don't have to go for the maximum,' Botich said, if other funding sources arise. The $10 million figure sets a maximum amount to borrow, just as the maximum interest rate for the 20-year bond would be 7%. Portage Township School Board member Wilma Vazquez, a nonvoting member of the RDC, asked about the RDC's outstanding bond obligations. That's going to be spelled out in a work session next month, and it's listed in the RDC's annual report, Botich said. The RDC is also looking at residential tax increment financing districts for future subdivisions, including Bauer Farm and Sandy Trail, Botich said. The RDC delayed action on the proposal for another month while the city works out details with developers. Botich said the TIF plan calls for the developers to pay a fee to the city up front that would be used for a variety of purposes, including raises for police officers approved by the City Council this month. That annual fee would disappear when the subdivision is considered fully built out, meaning 90% of the lots have been developed. The fee would vary for each subdivision. 'The numbers will be different because of the size of the neighborhoods and the investment involved,' Bonta explained. Developers hope to see the program details ironed out within 30 days, Botich said. The RDC also agreed to budget up to $300,000 next year for the north side sewer interceptor project. That helps pay for relocating the planned major sewer line away from north side acreage so the property retains its high dollar value. The RDC purchased that property shortly before the city went to bid on the project, utilities department General Superintendent Tracie Marshall said. The city had built in $500,000 for that contingency, but the actual cost turned out to be up to $800,000. With the RDC paying the extra amount next year, the work can go forward. 'I want to stress it's not because utilities did anything wrong,' Bonta said. The city had designed the interceptor in the most cost-efficient way, but running the interceptor down the middle of that parcel would devalue the property, he said.
