A south Lake County economic development agreement has received approval from the Lake County Council after its Tuesday morning meeting.
The council approved the agreement in a 6-0 vote with no discussion. Councilman Charlie Brown, D-3rd, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting and county budget reading.
The agreement affects Eagle Creek Township near Lowell and focuses on an area located near the intersection of Interstate 65 and Indiana 2. According to Post-Tribune archives, 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 1.2 million-square-foot John Deere distribution center. The company plans to invest $125 million, according to Post-Tribune archives, and the facility will bring in $7.2 million in new property tax revenue to Lake County over a 10-year tax abatement period.
According to council documents, the agreement should promote “significant opportunities” for employment in the area, and attract “major new business enterprises.”
The approved resolution for the agreement says public health and welfare will benefit from the plan, and it’s supposed to increase permanent jobs, increase the property tax base and improve diversity of the economic base.
Nearby residents won’t be displaced because of the economic development agreement, according to council documents.
Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-7th, said at the council’s Thursday study session that there are misconceptions about the agreement. Niemeyer, who’s also a member of the Lake County Plan Commission, has been adamant about the agreement’s benefits to the county.
“It isn’t a land use plan,” Niemeyer previously said. “It isn’t a shortcut to zoning. It is a financial tool. … 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.”
The plan commission previously approved the agreement at an Aug. 27 meeting. Now that it’s received council approval, the agreement must be approved by the Lake County Board of Commissioners and sent back to the county redevelopment commission for final approval.
The redevelopment commission plans to host a public hearing in November, and a meeting with area residents in October.
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Some south Lake County residents have expressed concerns with the economic development agreement, specifically worried that it would negatively impact 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.”