BY JOYCE RUSSELL
Times of Northwest Indiana
PORTAGE | The City Council adopted the Marquette Greenway Plan last week. The regional plan that looks at opening up recreational and greenspace along Lake Michigan's shoreline will now be used as a supporting document in the city's efforts to redevelop the northern-most region of the city.
The Marquette Plan, proposed by U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, looks to reclaim 75 percent of the lakefront between the Illinois state line and Portage's eastern boundary. In addition to Portage, it involves the municipalities of Gary, Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago.
Director of Community Development A.J. Monroe said the Portage Redevelopment Commission took its first step in making the plan a reality. He said the commission showed regional leadership when it recently hired the Chicago consulting firm of JJR to develop a north side master plan for the city, a sub-area within the regional plan.
The Marquette Plan calls for the creation of a lakefront park with public facilities and vehicular access. Another feature of the plan calls for the development of a riverwalk along the Burns Waterway that would link the lakefront park to the Portage Marina, the Marina Shores at Dunes Harbor development and the South Shore station on U.S. 12. Other proposals include identifying a trail link between the east and west units of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and promoting transit-oriented developments near the South Shore station.
Monroe said he met with special interest groups, property owners, agency members and others last week to discuss what the north side redevelopment plan will entail. That plan will not only take in the area earmarked in the Marquette Plan for redevelopment, but will extend to the south to include the Ameriplex at the Port business park and an area of U.S. 20 at the intersection with Ind. 149, considered one of the gateways to the city.
Monroe also said the north side redevelopment plan will assist in the city's discussions with the National Park Service in the development of the 60-acre former brownfield site at the U.S. Steel Midwest Plant that will eventually be developed into the city's public beach.
The north side redevelopment plan is scheduled to be completed by May.
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