BY ROYAL M. HOPPER III, Times of Northwest Indiana Correspondent
CEDAR LAKE | The South Shore Line could one day make regular stops at a Cedar Lake station, and a local development company is hoping to use a 12-acre lure to make sure it does.
"I would say we could have it done in two years if we stay on it," said Todd Kleven, of Crown Point-based Hawk Development Corp.
Kleven spoke Wednesday before the Cedar Lake Plan Commission about plans the company has to develop 10 to 12 acres of the 105-acre property it owns near 133rd and Parrish avenues. The land is near the proposed site of a train station on the South Shore Line.
The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District is pushing a regional transportation plan that features a South Shore extension to Lowell and Valparaiso.
Citing a letter sent to the council by the NICTD project manager, Kleven said a development that mixes high- and medium-density zoning for commercial and residential purposes based on the need of a train station would greatly increase the town's chances of having a stop on the proposed commuter line to Lowell.
"The mixed-use developments concentrate economic and residential activity improving the overall effectiveness of the transit investment," read a letter signed by project manager John Parsons.
The letter says the district considers such "transit oriented development" plans as part of its "project evaluation scoring system." Plans for the subdivision, to be called Union Station, include around 900 units with a mix of traditional single-family homes, paired patio units, townhomes and upscale apartments.
The proposed patio homes and apartments include a clubhouse and a retail area set aside for the development.
The funding for the project would have to come at least partially from state and federal sources, Kleven said. He said the project could bring $250 million in salaries, wages and sales to the region, and Cedar Lake needs to get its share of the economic development funds.
No action was taken on the proposed zoning changes, which must still go before the City Council for approval if the Plan Commission recommends them