The Lake County Plan Commission voted to send an economic development agreement back to the redevelopment commission for further review.
The agreement affects south Lake County in Eagle Creek Township near Lowell, and it will be located at the intersection of Interstate 65 and Indiana 2.
Tim Brown, executive director of the Lake County Community Economic Development department, gave an overview of the agreement’s resolution Wednesday evening.
The economic development area is about 6,000 acres, Brown said. The western boundary of the economic development area will be at about Georgia or Mississippi streets, he said, and the eastern boundary will be Clay Street. The area will start at about 153rd Avenue in the north and end on the south side of the South Lake Stone quarry.
A residential area is located on the east side of Mississippi Street, Brown said, but it will not be included in the area.
An economic development area can help boost employment, Brown said.
“That would be anything related to the facilities that end up being built, but frankly, it can be anything that’s in your zoning regulations,” he added. “Right now, I have no idea what that’s going to be. … Our discussion is, ‘how do you get an advantage to the infrastructure improvements to help other tax entities, too?’”
Plan commission member Paul Panczuk expressed concerns with the economic development area and its compliance with the county’s comprehensive plan. Panczuk prepared two maps to “prune” the area that he believes will help preserve nearby residential and natural spaces.
“I don’t think this is too much of an ask for the redevelopment commission,” Panczuk said.
Plan commission member Randy Niemeyer worried that delaying approval could hinder development in the area, including a John Deere distribution center. Niemeyer said that once the economic development area is approved, it has to go to the county council, then commissioners and then back to the redevelopment commission.
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“I have to consider how it would impact the entirety of my (county) council district and Lake County,” he said. “And an economic development area provides great benefit to the district I represent, which is my job.”
The body originally voted to approve the economic development area, but the motion failed in a 4-3-1 vote. Members Niemeyer, Rebecca Koetz, James Metro and President Bill Emerson voted to pass it. Members Ken Huseman, Frank Kalvaitis and Panczuk voted against it, and Christina Miller abstained from the vote.
By sending the resolution back, the redevelopment commission will look over Panczuk’s proposed changes and try to prune the map as requested. Metro was the lone vote against the motion, and Miller abstained from the vote.
Various residents and local officials spoke about the resolution during public comment.
Andy Anderson, superintendent of Tri-Creek School Corporation, spoke in support of the economic development agreement Wednesday. The Tri-Creek School Board, according to Post-Tribune archives, voted at the beginning of August to eliminate K-8 sports and clubs next year and bus transportation in 2028 to offset its $3 million loss in annual revenue because of state property tax cuts.
“The Tri-Creek School Corporation is in dire need of financial support,” Anderson said. “We need your help, and this is what it looks like. Pave the way for (an economic development area) in order to set the stage for Lake County, Indiana, governing officials to support the residents of south Lake County by ultimately engaging Tri-Creek schools as a financial benefactor … as is permitted by Indiana Code.”
Hebron resident Katy Horst spoke against the economic development area, saying that they shouldn’t be forced to want development in order to save schools and local services.
“I’m mad,” Horst said. “I will support schools all day long. … But it’s not my family’s fault, and my family should not be part of the solution that other people have decided.”