A controversial economic development agreement for south Lake County is moving forward with the Lake County Council.
At its Tuesday meeting, the council will vote on the agreement affecting Eagle Creek Township near Lowell, located at the intersection of Interstate 65 and State Road 2.
The Lake County Plan Commission approved the agreement at an Aug. 27 special meeting. The county redevelopment commission made changes to prune areas of the map after some members wanted to preserve nearby residential and natural spaces.
“We took out a couple areas that had some housing in it,” Executive Director of Lake County Community Economic Development Tim Brown said at the council’s Thursday study session. “Another one had some wetland areas in it. It’s about 850 acres less than what we originally planned.”
Originally, Brown said the area was about 6,000 acres. The western boundary will be at about Mississippi Street and run to Grand Boulevard on the east side. It will start at about 153rd Avenue in the north and end on the south side of South Lake Stone quarry.
The area includes an incoming John Deere distribution center, Brown said Thursday. Anything the center brings in will bring the value of the area up, he added.
Brown said the county wants to get the agreement done by the end of 2026. If it’s done after, anything that John Deere has built and been reassessed increases the value, and it can no longer be an increment, he added.
“We’re looking at $100 million worth of improvements,” Brown said. “Most of that is in water and sewer, primarily in sewer. … There’s also roadway improvements that are included in this, too.”
If the council approves the agreement, then it will move to the commissioners for approval, and then back to the redevelopment commission. If it goes back to the redevelopment commission, Brown said they’ll look to do a public hearing in November. They also want to have an October meeting with area residents to explain the agreement more and alleviate concerns.
“We already have been successful,” Brown said. “Some of the folks who were initially against it, they’re no longer objecting at all.”
South Lake County residents have expressed concerns with the economic development agreement, worried that more development would negatively impact their residences and wildlife.
However, Andy Anderson, superintendent of Tri-Creek School Corporation, has previously spoken in support of the economic development area. According to Post-Tribune archives, the Tri-Creek School Board 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 previously 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.”
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Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-7th, said Thursday that there are some misconceptions about the agreement.
“It isn’t a land use plan,” Niemeyer said. “It isn’t a shortcut to zoning. It is a financial tool. As (Brown) pointed out, investing in the infrastructure in that area, along I-65 and Route 2, that particular economic development area, if it builds out to its potential along that corridor, could be a $10 to $20 billion corridor of economic investment. That’s a big deal for Lake County.”