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By PAULENE POPARAD Burns Harbor’s first master plan, adopted in 1970, anticipated all land south of Old Porter Road would be residential, the community would have a $300,000 golf course in the Little Calumet River flood plain, and a high school and two elementary schools would be built in town some day. That’s because it was predicted nearly 10,000 persons would reside in Burns Harbor by 1985. That never happened for a variety of reasons but with the installation of municipal water and sanitary sewers over the last decade, population finally is on the rise. One recommendation in the town’s 1970 master plan resonates even more today: New housing, commercial areas, streets, utilities and community facilities must be planned for by an entire community aware of the changes about to take place. To that end approximately 30 residents participated in an intensive day-long workshop Friday culminating in a preliminary first draft of a new master/comprehensive plan that will guide Burns Harbor’s development through 2010. Later this week the documents will be posted on a website for review at http://www.sehinc.com/online/burnsharbor/index.htm Target date for completing the comprehensive plan is in March, said zoning consultant Mike Darrow of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. The firm has a $100,000 contract funded with a grant to deliver the plan and a new zoning ordinance, both by June 30. Consultants are using terms like visioning, place making and smart growth. Former Burns Harbor building commissioner Gene Weibl told them, “I don’t think your vision and my vision and someone else’s vision are necessarily the same.” The tentative map identifying where industrial, commercial, residential and open space areas should be isn’t that different from the current comprehensive plan adopted in 1995, but with some updated twists. The large idle tract of light industrial land owned by Brown, Inc. on Indiana 149 is a prime site for a high-tech business park, it was suggested, and commercial property along U.S. 20 could be a compatible mix of concentrated office space, neighborhood business and residences perhaps consolidated in a town center. Brad Enslen said it’s important to have a place like a downtown where the town’s youth can congregate yet under the eyes of adults. Children shouldn’t have to get into a car to find fun, he added. Part of the SEH planning process will be a market study to determine whether Burns Harbor’s wishes are a pipe dream or a reality. Said Darrow, “You want a restaurant: what are the obstacles to getting it?” An action/implementation plan will offer a roadmap of how to get the deal done. SEH project manager A.J. Monroe confirmed that easements exist providing access between almost 200 Burns Harbor acres now zoned business park and Portage’s successful Ameriplex commercial/light industrial park, both north of Interstate 94. While much of the planning discussion has included talk of residential and shopping amenities, Bob Poparad said, “We cannot close our eyes to commercial/industrial. The tax caps are coming next year.” Local governments in Indiana are bracing for increasing demands yet less money. Darrow agreed residential won’t pay the bills. He cautioned against excluding any ideas at this early stage. Donna Meeks said she’s struggling with the suggestion that the town needs a bike trail when Burns Harbor is separated by three divided highways. “It’s like people are living pie-in-the-sky.” Darrow said walkability and pedestrian connectivity doesn’t only mean a conventional hike/bike trail. Perceived as underutilized is Burns Harbor’s undeveloped portion of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore that spans the town along the Little Calumet. “(The National Park Service) really doesn’t have a door, a gateway, a parking lot that says come on over,” noted Bob Kost of SEH. Darrow said he’s met with NPS officials to begin a dialogue regarding possible future plans. Cliff Fleming said locating an NPS office, perhaps along U.S. 12, could be a first step. Burns Harbor has a separate $50,000 grant to study the feasibility of a town hike/bike trail as recommended in the regional Marquette Plan. A possible alignment is identified near the Little Calumet. Friday, Burns Harbor residents Jane Jordan and Anne McCauley were skeptical. “I think it’s great and I’d love to promote the Lakeshore but I don’t think you realize how treacherous it is back there,” said Jordan. McCauley said until upstream towns fix bypassing sewage facilities, no one would want to be in the area following heavy rains. Fleming said the trail doesn’t have to parallel the river. Monroe agreed no preferred route has been identified for the Marquette Greenway. And as for the Little Calumet, “It’s a very complicated ecosystem we have there.” Between them the National Lakeshore and the Indiana Dunes State Park generate about 3 million visitors annually. Kost said, “To draw tourists it can’t be what they see everywhere else. If it’s local business doing local things it’s all about a sense of place.” According to Heather Ennis of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce, “We want to bring jobs and people but until we know who we are, we don’t have a story to tell.” Kost said once the jobs are here, the people and grocery stores will follow. Yet to be plugged into the planning process are the results of a 2008 resident-preference survey with 132 respondents that Darrow said will be one tool used among many prior to a formal public hearing on the final draft plan. It was suggested a notice of future meetings regarding the comprehensive plan be sent to residents to increase the number involved. SEH’s Matt Reardon said 6 percent of the town’s population has participated in the meetings so far, which is statistically high. “You can knock on your neighbor’s door,” Monroe told Friday’s audience. “This is your responsibility, your plan. It’s really incumbent on you to get the word out.”
Posted 1/26/2009 |
