By PAULENE POPARAD

Chesterton Advisory Plan Commission members heard it last month, heard it Thursday and undoubtedly will hear it again in the future.

Neighbors opposed to a 50-acre commercial/retail mall and hotel proposed at the southeast corner of the Indiana Toll Road and State Road 49 restated their objections under public comment even though Coffee Creek Crossings was not on the agenda.

Developers I-80 Partners, LLC are in talks with Wal-mart to bring the retailer and other national franchises to the mall. “I strongly urge when this proposal comes back before you, you deny it,” said Jeff McCraw of County Road 900N, which is south of the mall site.

Noting the area’s rural atmosphere in unincorporated Porter County, “People who live here love it and they don’t want it to change,” said Mary Seguin of 900N east of State Road 49; she moved there in July.

Nov. 15 the Plan Commission heard a concept plan for the 300,000 square-foot mall but a formal public hearing hasn’t taken place. Since that time area property owners have gone before other town and county boards hoping to raise concerns about drainage, traffic and other issues they say would make the mall incompatible with its chosen location.

Julie Naillieux of Calumet Avenue, which would border a portion of the mall, said when the I-80 Partners land was annexed to Chesterton earlier this year its use was described to be partial retail and partial residential. As for the current project, “This by no means falls under the guidelines of the (town’s) comprehensive plan.”

Cheryl McCraw distributed studies to commission members on the economic impacts of big-box retailers like Wal-mart, which she said increase property taxes and force local retailers to downsize or close. “I don’t see this as a vision of growth and development.”

Jeff McCraw said every business in Chesterton from restaurants to flower shops should be alarmed by the proposed mall, especially when he counted 20 business sites already vacant. McCraw said he’s a small-business owner in another town. “If a development like Coffee Creek Crossing came into my town, it would ruin me. It would put me out of business in a year.”

Some speakers including Mary Ann Crayton of Dune Acres urged Chesterton officials to promote and protect their downtown by building from the inside out, not the outside in. Crayton said Wal-marts in both Michigan City and Valparaiso negate the need for one in Chesterton 10 miles away.

Mary Seguin said her sump pump goes on in both wet weather and dry days because the area has such poor drainage. She said long-range plans drafted by both Chesterton and Porter County call for development near cities and towns. “The development of this area seems to go against these plans.”

Dave Naillieux said it’s likely that two-lane Calumet Avenue would have to be widened bringing traffic closer to his home. “We don’t want the traffic, not at all.”

Holly Futrell of County Road 200E called for keeping Chesterton the special town it is and not aspiring to be Valparaiso or Merrillville. She and Deb Eversole of 900N urged future development to “go green” and pose no visual or noise disturbances for its neighbors.

Posted 12/21/2007