Meridian Hospitality design for Marquette Park and Beach
Developers' fresh eyes like what they see in Gary
Contributed By:The 411 News
A hotel on Marquette beach, new housing and commercial use for Glen Park
After 4 hours of presentations by outsiders with fresh eyes, Joseph Van Dyk, Gary’s Redevelopment Commission Director said the developers’ views validated the hard work the commission has put in over past years.
“All the data we’ve gathered, all the thoughts we put in to make sure we have genuine engagement with people, so what we do and what we ask developers to do reflects priorities of businesses,” Van Dyk explained. “All the demolition, all the planning validates a lot of the hard work we’ve put in to make sure we present our city in a way that shows its possibilities.”
Developers were showcased Thursday afternoon in the council chambers, hosted by the Redevelopment Commission and the Gary Economic Development Corporation. They were attracted to five of Gary’s Master Plan districts the city targets for redevelopment.
In the Glen Park area, redevelopment for the University Park and University Park East district that contains areas near Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College.
In the Miller area, a transportation oriented district targets redevelopment for the South Shore Rail Station at Lake Street. A second redevelopment area in Miller is the Gary Lakefront, Marquette Park and Beach district.
The Gary Northside Redevelopment Initiative combines the three neighborhoods of Horace Mann, Downtown and Emerson.
The fifth area is the Light Industrial District, defined as the area bounded by Lake Street to the west, the South Shore commuter rail line to the north, County Line Road to the east and the Lake Station boundary to the south. Highway 20 bisects the area from west to east.
The Habitat Company, developer of Presidential Towers and numerous other housing and commercial real estate projects in Chicago set their sights on the University Park Area. Habitat’s president Matthew Fiascone and vice president Charlton Hamer said the area is ripe for a mix of residential and commercial projects. The Gary Housing Authority employed Habitat to demolish Ivanhoe Public Housing several years ago.
Meridian Hospitality & Construction imagined Marquette Park and its beachfront anchored by a hotel, retail and entertainment establishments stretching along a boardwalk. Meridian’s design showed a launch for boats, a Ferris wheel, museum and visitors center. Byron Dillard, Meridian CEO, said their plan follows the model of the National Harbor on the Wash., D.C. waterfront.
Meridian brought in a 20-man team with backgrounds in architecture and engineering, public relations, financing, hotel development, construction, housing and commercial development to present their bold concept. Among them was James L. Witt, the FEMA director under President Bill Clinton. Witt Global Partners brings infrastructure and global financing expertise. Renascent Hospitality president Scott Somerville said his company would work with hotel parent companies or independent hoteliers for development and management. “We acquire the hotel franchises, develop, construct and manage it,” Scott said.
Turnstone Development offered its experience as an affordable housing developer. Presentations were also made by East Lake Management and Development Corp. and Tandem Ventures
The director of the Gary Economic Development Corp., Bo Kemp, said no decisions have been made nor timelines set. “We are moving to get to the place where we can establish an intent to work with these developers.”
When asked by resident Andrew Young, “How will you respond to the pushback from Miller residents who take their beaches and dunes pretty seriously?” – Kemp said the developers will go through the normal requirement to adhere to the zoning and environmental process and review by multiple agencies in the city and by the public.
Van Dyk said his commission plans to do more outreach in Gary’s Marshalltown and Midtown areas. “I’ve talked with councilwomen Rogers and Barnes-Caldwell. We’re going into the schools and hold panels on redevelopment.”
Story Posted:04/01/2017
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