BY SUSAN ERLER, Times of Northwest Indiana
serler@nwitimes.com
PORTAGE | A first-of-its kind residential development in Northwest Indiana backs homes and condominiums up to a private, 300-slip marina on the Burns Waterway heading into Lake Michigan.
Its developer, Bill Brant, is banking on the allure of the lakefront to bring buyers to Marina Shores, where a combination of single- and multi-family dwellings will sell for between $300,000 and $1 million-plus.
"Our vision was for a waterfront community with access to Lake Michigan and the Dunes," said Brant, who heads Brant Construction LLC.
The first phase of the gated community puts 60 condo units and a number of single-family homes directly on the marina just steps from boat slips.
Another 50 condo units and up to 40 single-family homes will back up the waterfront dwellings.
Work is expected to get underway shortly on the first of the buildings, Brant said.
The first boat slips will be ready for occupation April 1.
Residents get first pick of the slips once the dwellings are built, but for the 2006 boating season slips will be available to renters at a preconstruction price of $70 a lineal foot, Brant said.
A yacht club with a restaurant and bar is planned, along with a swimming pool for residents only and ship's store, with supplies for boaters.
The Ogden Dunes South Shore rail line stop across U.S. 12, with the Chicago skyline visible on the horizon, is expected to attract Chicago area buyers.
Sales activity so far "has exceeded expectations," Marina Shores General Manager William Baker said.
Brant said he followed a simple rule in deciding to build the region's first residential marina community.
"People want housing on the water," Brant said.
The Northwest Indiana lakeshore, where steel mills and other manufacturers have shared space with federally preserved lands, is drawing increasing interest from the retail and commercial sectors.
Outdoor sporting goods giant Bass Pro Shops plans a 130,000-square-foot store just south of Marina Shores, at Ind. 249 and Interstate 94. National chain restaurants and other retailers are expected to follow.
"It's the next logical step," said James Segedy, an urban planning professor at Ball State University. "You're going to continue to see development all along the waterfront. That's what's desirable."