[url=http://nwitimes.com/articles/2005/03/04/news/lake_county/25e2e4ad4705717b86256fba000dd0ad.txt]
Business leaders talk growth and transportation
Widening U.S. 30, 109th Avenue interchange, Illiana Expressway on NIRPC radar[/url]
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The city's business community got an update Thursday from a regional transportation official on the status of area road expansions. In the process, they also tried to reconcile the projects with the city's projected growth and new master plan.
Ken Dallmeyer, director of transportation planning for the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, told the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce that the organization's long-range expansion plans include widening U.S. 30 to three lanes in each direction, constructing an Interstate 65 interchange at 109th Avenue and building an Illiana Expressway.
Illiana Expressway? Does any one know what they are refering to? Will that be an expressway tying I65 to I394?
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In the next two years, work will begin on making a portion of Broadway four lanes and ideally, some day, the group will work on extending 109th Avenue, or North Street in Crown Point, west to U.S. 231, Dallmeyer said.
Man that is so over due, while they are at it, Mississippi Street should be extended southward from 101st to US231, or at least to 113th.
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It's a good sign that U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., got a request into the federal transportation bill for $10 million to build the 109th Avenue interchange, he said. But it probably will take 10 years for it to be built.
Ten years to be built? WTF? IMAO it is already been ten years over due.
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Dallmeyer also said NIRPC isn't expecting the same growth rate in Crown Point that has been talked about during creation of the new master plan.
There's an understatement!
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The group is forecasting 4 percent growth for the region in the next 30 years. During a master plan work session held earlier this year by the consulting firm Lakota Group, principal John LaMotte said potential annexation could bring an additional 21,000 people into the city by 2020. On top of planned and proposed subdivisions, LaMotte estimated that could bring the city's population to 52,000.
If growth does take off, the city should look at more ways of self-funding infrastructure, such as through impact fees, Dallmeyer said.
The difference is between single family homes or Lakota's proposed high-density housing.
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Mayor Dan Klein said that's something he and city officials will look at with completion of the master plan. Klein said he knows growth is coming, and that's why he wants to redirect U.S. 231 downtown through where the current Bank One building stands to address traffic congestion that may not be a problem today but likely will be in 10 years.
I gess he still isn't taking Metros' advice about fold his cards and going home.
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"We're stepping up and doing it now to be prepared for the future," he said. Klein said he already has planned to have NIRPC officials meet with the Lakota Group.
Crown Point schools Superintendent H. Steve Sprunger said he thought the city might be gobbling up land too quickly for transportation planning to keep up.
I thought Sprunger was stepping down.
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"Pretty soon there won't be a place you can put a road because it will be developed," he said. "We're building houses at such a rapid rate in south Lake County."
Redevelopment Commission President Ted Rosdil said that's why the city needs to focus on growth that will produce income, such as high-density housing in urban settings that would attract retirees.
Hey Princess, what's the pedigree on this Rosdil? Is he even form Lake County?
Is warehousing retirees, really attracting growth that will produce income. By the very definition aren't retirees no longer producing income? Doesn't attracting families who are in their peek earning years, with children who need everything, seem like a much better income producer?
Do these people think before they speak?
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