HIGHLAND | An old Dog & Suds site on Kennedy Avenue may soon house a medical clinic and start the ball rolling on local redevelopment.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Spott said the site, directly across from the Sharp Athletic Complex, was actually used for another medical practice for about 18 years after the restaurant closed.

Spott said his current office is in East Chicago but many of his patients are from the other side of the county, and Highland offers a more central location.

A key factor would be a 10-year tax abatement, Spott said. Currently, the site brings in $4,600 in property taxes each year. When developed, it would bring about $35,000 in annual taxes, he said.

The office would employ about 10 people, Spott said, and the building would have a second suite for another doctor to locate a practice.

The current plan is for a building to go sideways on the lot to conform with a required 30-foot setback, Spott said. A two-story building facing Kennedy is preferred, he said, but such a location would not have enough parking because of the setback.

However, the Redevelopment Commission noted that an upcoming redevelopment plan for this area will eliminate the setback and encourage storefronts near the sidewalk and parking in the back. Board members also noted the doctor's proposal would conform to their vision of the future.

"I would do that in a heartbeat," Spott said of a building facing Kennedy.

However, it will be a future time when the setback is changed, so Town Council Vice President Joseph Wszolek, R-4th, advised Spott to ask the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance in the meantime.