City of East Chicago ROXANA TOD PLAN The Arsh Group Inc. Applied Real Estate Research Robinson Engineering ROXANA TOD PLAN CITY OF EAST CHICAGO STAKEHOLDERS Anthony Copeland .................................................... Mayor Don Babcock ..........................................................NiSource Monsi Corsbie ........................................... E.C. Solid Waste Marino Solorio .......Director, Planning & Economic Dev. Gregory Crowley .............................E.C. Sanitary District Richard Morrisroe .......................................... City Planner Lenny Franciski ....................................... Roxana Resident William Allen .................................................City Engineer Winna Guzman ....................... E.C. Building Department Eman Ibrahim ............................................................NIRPC EAST CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL Paul Labus ..................................The Nature Conservancy Lenny Franciski .............................President, 2nd District Tim Matthews ..............................................Club Ki-Yowga Christine Vasquez ................ Vice-President, 4th District Susan MiHalo ...........................The Nature Conservancy Carla Morgan .................................. E.C. Law Department Myrna Maldonado ............................................ 1st District Michael Noland ........................................................NICTD Brenda Walker .................................................. 3rd District Fran Nowacki ........................................... Roxana Resident Robert Garcia ....................................................5th District John Parsons ..............................................................NICTD Gilda Orange ......................................................6th District Emiliano Perez ........................................ Roxana Resident Richard Medina ......................................................At-Large Brian Poland ...........................................City of Hammond Ronald London .......................................................At-Large James Portalatin ..................................... Roxana Resident Kenneth Monroe ....................................................At-Large Michael Repay ...................... NICTD Board of Directors Francisco Rosado ..............................................E.C. Transit EAST CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION Orland Santos ........................................... E.C. Solid Waste Valeriano Gomez .................................................President Emily Stork ................................................................... IDNR Anthony Serna ............................................. Vice-President Fernando Trevino ................E.C. Waterway Management Joanne Moricz ....................................................... Secretary James VanderKloot ........................................................EPA William Allen Carl Wodrich ................................................................ IDNR Monique Kurmis Patricia Naumoff Lilia Ramos Douglas Sloss Christine Vasquez PLAN CONSULTANTS The Arsh Group, Inc. ....................................Project Lead Applied Real Estate Analysis, Inc. Robinson Engineering TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .........................................................1 ESTABLISHING A VISION ................................................................. 2 1 WHAT IS A TOD? ....................................................................... 2 ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY (PROCESS) ..................................... 3 REGIONAL POLICY ........................................................................ 4 REGULATORY APPROVAL ................................................................ 5 Area Profile .........................................................7 REGIONAL CONTEXT ................................................................... 7 2 HISTORY ....................................................................................... 8 GENERAL AREA SUMMARY ..........................................................10 DEMOGRAPHICS ..........................................................................11 LAND USE ..................................................................................14 GENERAL ZONING .....................................................................20 MOBILITY ....................................................................................22 INFRASTRUCTURE CONDITIONS ..................................................29 MARKET ......................................................................................32 Assessment ........................................................39 STAKEHOLDER INPUT ..................................................................40 3 KEY ISSUES ..................................................................................41 KEY OPPORTUNITIES .................................................................44 Future Plan ........................................................61 CORRIDORS ................................................................................62 4 TRANSIT CENTER .......................................................................66 OPEN SPACE ...............................................................................69 NEIGHBORHOODS ......................................................................74 URBAN FORM .............................................................................77 LAND USE ..................................................................................87 MOBILITY ....................................................................................92 5 Next Steps .........................................................99 1 Introduction Transit development in recent years has become an organizing principle for development or redevelopment in many communities. The Roxana TOD Plan aims to transform East Chicago’s vision into a framework for guiding the City’s physical development over the next five to ten years for two neighborhoods. The Plan will recommend appropriate type, intensity, and character of development for the planning area to achieve a sustainable future through initiating desired land use changes, sequencing improvements and defining future character. The Plan further identifies where future growth should be encouraged based on existing infrastructure, development patterns, and market conditions. The recommendations provided by the Plan are independent of how quickly the City is able to reverse the long term declining trends for industrial based communities. The Plan aims to channel new growth smartly and in line with how residents want their city to look and function. It sets clear guidelines, but remains flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities as they arise particularly of areas in close proximity of the South Shore Commuter rail station. Establishing a Vision The City’s vision for the planning area is to create a place with a strong local identity that is economically viable, vibrant, connected and green. In addition the plan aims to change the commuting pattern from a connector pattern -going to Chicago- to a destination pattern where people see East Chicago as the final drop off location.That is, in essence, the core focus of the Roxana Transit Oriented Development Plan (Roxana TOD Plan). With the recent transit expansion in the region, and continued interest in urban transit development, the opportunity has arisen to develop a new vision for transit based development to promote revitalization, increase connectivity and expand community character. What is a TOD? Although definitions somewhat vary, transit-oriented development, or TOD, is a type of community development TOD Benefits that includes a mixture of housing, office, retail and/or other • Reduced household driving and thus amenities integrated into a walkable neighborhood and lowered regional congestion, air located within a half-mile of quality public transportation. pollution and greenhouse gas emissions Many also believe that it is essential that TOD creates better access to jobs, housing, and opportunity for people of all • Walkable communities that ages and incomes. accommodate more healthy and active lifestyles • Increased transit ridership and fare Key Planning Objectives revenue • Added value created through increased The primary purpose of the Roxana TOD plan is to promote and/or sustained property values urban revitalization through development and expansion • Improved access to jobs and economic transit in the City of East Chicago by implementing a set of opportunity land use, transportation and urban design policies which will • Expanded mobility choices that reduce foster revitalization, support aesthetic improvements and transportation costs promote quality of life for residents. The recommendations set forth in this plan are also intended to guide public and • Creation of a sense of community and private investment over the next 5-10 years. place. 2 ROXANA TOD PLAN Planning Objectives • Develop a community based direction for the future. • Establish a land use guidelines which minimizes conflicts and strengthen fabric of the community. • Understand market demand and opportunities. • Assess economic development opportunities to promote revitalization. • Promote a high quality visual image for the planning area through well designed public and private spaces. • Plan streets for all users • Accommodate infrastructure