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| Controversial housing project taking shape http://northwestindiana.com/discussionforum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1419 |
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| Author: | Conversation Starter [ Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Controversial housing project taking shape |
Controversial housing project taking shape LAKE STATION | More than a decade after it was first presented to the city, a 100-acre subdivision of affordable housing in a woody section of town is ready for development. Builders expect the first residents of the River Walk subdivision to move in as early as spring -- perhaps even before the federal litigation regarding the construction of the development is completed. "That's all behind. Whatever history was there, all those issues are behind us," said Joel Gorelick, president and chairman of the Lake County Economic Development Corp., which spearheaded the development. For Lake County government, which bought the land and prepared the site using federal grants, the history of the issue is very much alive and present. Just last week, the county filed motions to dismiss the two-year-old litigation, saying there was no evidence to support its allegations. The county was sued two years ago by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for firing a department head who had pushed to get the subdivision built. Richard Hucker, the former Economic Development Corp. director, said the county fired him for pushing the issue when county officials wanted it dropped. Hucker and HUD said county commissioners opposed the development because of racism. Then-Commissioner Rudy Clay said it was common knowledge that residents opposed the development because of a concern that "affordable" housing would attract racial minorities. Planners said the initial opposition in 1995 had to do with more mundane issues, such as a lack of sewer capacity that has since been fixed with the help of a $600,000 federal grant. While the litigation and federal investigation that preceded it have gone on for the past six years, the Lake County Economic Development Corp. has pushed ahead with construction. "I think they're having a great response," Mayor Shirley Wadding said. "It's going to be an enhancement to the community." This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, December 11, 2006 12:27 AM CST |
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