MERRILLVILLE | The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority opened the floodgates Tuesday night on $8.13 million for Marquette Greenway Plan projects in East Chicago, Gary and Portage.
The bulk of that amount, some $6.38 million, was approved for the Portage Lakefront Park, which will include a park pavilion building, a riverwalk and restored jetty.
"We are here tonight because we feel we are ready to build our phase of the Marquette Plan," Portage Mayor Doug Olson told the RDA shortly before its vote.
The RDA approved another $1.75 million for the first round of environmental and other studies needed to redevelop lakefront running from the East Chicago Marina to the Majestic Star Casinos at Buffington Harbor. About $600,000 of the money would be used to demolish the abandoned water filtration plant just south of the East Chicago Marina.
"I think through this request, we can bring Northwest Indiana into a different frame of mind," said Christopher Meyers, director of planning for the city of Gary.
The stretch of lakefront the two cities want to develop is entangled by high-voltage transmission lines and active railroad tracks. Those represent major impediments to any development there. The studies would look at the feasibility of removing those roadblocks as well as other issues.
Also commenting on the plan was James LeFresne, vice president of product development for Majestic Star Casinos and the Barden Cos.
"It is important for us to meet the cities' goals as well as our own," LeFresne said. "And I think we hold those goals in common."
When Majestic Star owner Don Barden bought the neighboring Trump Casino-Hotel for $253 million in 2005, he committed to building a hotel, condominiums, a medical clinic and other projects at the Gary lakefront.
On Tuesday night, LeFresne said those plans are being reworked and refined. He would not give any details.
Several RDA members asked Portage planners and consultants why the price of their project had increased to $6.38 million from previous estimates of $4.6 million.
Some of the increase is due to revised plans for the park pavilion building, which will be 25 percent larger than originally planned, architect Spero Valavanis said. The building also will be certified as a "green building" with energy and water-saving features.
Unexpected complications in building access roads and other facilities also drove some of the increase.
