Northside Master Plan Was Begun Immediately Following Portage’S Adoption of the Marquette Plan
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UPDATE Northside Master Plan 2015 O ur Northside District. [g Our Northside District is the place where you can get off the train and walk through a national park to put your toes in Lake Michigan. It’s a place where you can do your thing – chill, hike, hike, take pics, work, boat, dine, and overnight. It’s a great place. You can visit, but you might just want to call it home. No pressure. Your call. Northside District Master is located Plan [2005]in Portage, Indiana, just 45 miles from downtown Chicago and a mere 30 miles from New Buffalo, Michigan. Really great location, Portage’s Northside Master Plan was begun immediately following Portage’s adoption of The Marquette Plan. Portage recognized huh? The South Shore Line commuter rail runs along US Highway 12 in this stretch the importance of translating the vision of The Marquette Plan to community-specific land planning efforts while the momentum and you can hop off at the Portage/Ogden Dunes station to start your experience of this of The Marquette Plan was strong. The community maintained the same vision as its guiding plan, identified personalized blossoming and juxtaposed area. Or take the interchange at Interstate 94 and State principles to which to aspire, and painted the picture in words and images of what the future could be for this great lakefront Road 249 – or feel free to come by boat via Burns Waterway, straight from beautiful community. Lake Michigan. A nationally-recognized LEED gold certified lakefront and riverwalk park in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore next to a steel mill? You betcha. It’s part of our history, part of who we are in The Region. And there’s more. Portage and Northwest Indiana are full of offerings for you. Welcome to NWI, especially our Northside District. Please excuse the construction. We are building our future. You are welcome to join us! Foundation Plans This plan update references many aspects of its two foundation plans. We invite you to (re)familiarize yourself with these plans via the link on the City of Portage website: www.ci.portage.in.us The Marquette Plan [2005] Its tagline THE LAKESHORE REINVESTMENT STRATEGY and its vision CREATE A LIVABLE LAKEFRONT summarize it best. The collaboration of the lakeshore communities, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and the office of Congressman Pete Visclosky via The Marquette Plan was the impetus needed to start our collective journey to sustainable reinvestment in Northwest Indiana. The message of The Marquette Plan will resound through the ages as long as we continue to look to it for guidance. 1 | P a g e Northside Master Plan [2005] Portage’s Northside Master Plan was begun immediately following Portage’s adoption of The Marquette Plan. Portage recognized the importance of translating the vision of The Marquette Plan to community-specific land planning efforts while the momentum of The Marquette Plan was strong. The community maintained the same vision as its guiding plan, identified personalized principles to which to aspire, and painted the picture in words and images of what the future could be for this great lakefront community. Document Guide CELEBRATE How Far We Have Come o Marquette Plan Projects 3 o Development Snapshots 5 Why an Update? ASSESS Where We Are Today Northside Master Plan was adopted in 2005. Since then, a number of projects have been built and more are currently underway. We are quite o Public Participation 8 proud of the successes this plan has seen in just ten years. It takes a mix of o Connections 10 dedication and patience, of focus and seeing the big picture. It is time to IDENTIFY What Lies Ahead keep working on the Plan, to reinforce our commitment to it, and to o Land Use Framework 11 continue to move projects forward for full realization of the vision to o Concept Plan 13 CREATE A LIVABLE LAKEFRONT. o Concept Plan Exploration 15 At this ten year mark, it is time to celebrate how far we have come, to o Character Images 17 assess where we are today, and to identify what lies ahead for our great Acknowledgements 26 community. This is the reason for this NORTHSIDE MASTER PLAN UPDATE. 2 | P a g e : Susan Kelly Jonson Kelly : Susan Source … : Susan Kelly Johnson Kelly : Susan Source A new sixty-acre lakefront park with public facilities and vehicular access to the adjacent Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; and A new public riverwalk along Burns Waterway linking the lakefront park to the Portage Marina, a proposed new marina-centered residential development and the existing South Shore station; Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk was the catalytic project of Northside Master Plan and the first project completed in The Region to celebrate the vision of The Marquette Plan. Formerly the property where the settling ponds for industrial byproduct and wastewater treatment facility for National Steel were located, this brownfield reclamation masterpiece was carefully designed utilizing the haul paths needed for remediation of the property. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified Gold-rated pavilion overlooks the restored lagoons, now home to dune plant succession. Fully accessible to all, the park is a parnership between the City of Portage and the National Park Service made possible by legislation written many years ago with the forethought that at some point in time, the public should regain title to their beach. Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk opened in 2008 and is one of the most visited locations in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Improvements to the corridor linking Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk to the South Shore Line have been completed per the connections identified in Portage Lakefront South Properties Sub-Area Plan [2013]. Future phases of the plan include linking the park to the Portage Marina. Celebrate 3 | P a g e Northside Today Northside Master Plan was instrumental in painting a picture of the Portage community inviting Lake Michigan beyond its front door, integrating the strength and awe of our great lake into our community. Each of the project ideas identified in the Portage Sub-Area section of The Marquette Plan and carried into Northside Master Plan are identified in italics below followed by a synopsis of the progress of each project. We celebrate the successes of the projects to- date as we look forward to their completion and the identification of the next set of projects on which to focus in the next decade. Let’s keep working. : www.nwipa.com : NICTD Source Source Level Platform; Platform; Level - Source: Project Team Project Source: Photo: Kayaking waterway; waterway; Kayaking Photo: Photo: Hi Photo: A long-desired trail linkage A model for transit-oriented Park and public access between the east and west units development and proposed new improvements at Portage Yacht of the National Lakeshore; marina-centered residential Club with potential water trail development if properly executed; links on the Little Calumet River; An unrivaled trail experience is and developing in our midst. It is the Where many transit-oriented The long-term opportunity for a Marquette Greenway Trail. It has developments (TODs) function to canal link between the lakefront been advocated for many times shuttle people to other places for properties and downtown over and many communities are activities, the TOD at the Portage. championing it to see it through. Portage/Ogden Dunes stop is off Ultimately, it will traverse from to a dynamic start offering a In 2013, the deteriorated yacht Chicago to Michigan – through an destination of its own accord. It club building was razed. This incredible mix of places – as puts the greater public from created a cleaner slate for the beautifully diverse as our region. elsewhere in Region and beyond Redevelopment Commission's One small portion of this trail inside the heart of the Indiana 150+ acre office/hospitality would close the gap between the Dunes National Lakeshore just a planned development. During this east and west units of the Indiana short walk to Lake Michigan. Plan Update process, the largest Dunes National Lakeshore. This development parcel (which gap continues to shrink as The new homes and amenities at includes the former yacht club funding is applied to the Marina Shores at Dune Harbor site) was sold under contract for endeavor. How exciting it will be have started to build the TOD and development. Catalyst Properties to celebrate this accomplishment the marina-oriented development is in the process of approval for as a regional community! Let's (MOD) reality here. Stay tuned for Sport Resort, a 150+-acreplanned keep working. what's to come once Burns development which will include Parkway connects to US Hwy 12. many recreation opportunities. 4 | P a g e Northside Master Plan [2005] snapshot noun snap·shot \ˈsnap-ˌshät\ : an informal photograph C that is taken quickly F E : a quick view or a small B amount of information that tells you a little about what 2015 Development Snapshot D A someone or something is like : Northside Master Plan [2005] Concept Plan Concept [2005] Plan Master : Northside AmeriPlex at the Port www.merriam-webster.com Source Development Snapshot update to original 2005 plan > > > > A AmeriPlex at the Port AmeriPlex at the Port continues to be a model in development. Only 38.83 acres of Industrial/Flex and 37.35 acres of Commercial/Retail land are still available in the 385-acre business park planned development located immediately northeast of the interchange of Interstate 94 and State Road 249. The complex now boasts 3500 jobs compared to 549 in 2005. 2015 Development Snapshot B “The Confluence” "The Confluence" An entertainment zone at the confluence of Burns Waterway and the Little Calumet River is a strong concept for the entire community.