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By KEVIN NEVERS
In the six years since the Chesterton Town Council established the tax
increment financing district, the Dickinson Road extension—one of the four
projects officially listed as rationale for the creation of a TIF district
in the first place—hasn’t even been a glimmer in the eye of the
Redevelopment Commission.
At a special meeting Monday night, however, the commission finally pulled
the trigger, when it voted 5-0 to ask the Town Council to approve an
appraisal of Outlot B of Duneland Cove IV with the idea of purchasing it.
Outlot B extends from the intersection of Sand Creek Drive and Michael Drive
south to the CSX right-of-way and would be the first leg of the Dickinson
Road extension.
At its own meeting later in the evening, the council accordingly voted 5-0
to retain the services, at a cost of $1,500 each, of Bochnowski Appraisal
Company and Vail Appraisal Group. So far, so good. But one possible route
for the second leg of the extension—extending from the other side of the CSX
right-of-way south to Porter Ave.—falls across land currently owned by the
Smith family, and before it can be similarly appraised with the idea of
purchasing it a preliminary engineering study needs to be done to assess its
suitability for road construction.
Maybe, Member Sharon Darnell ventured, the Smith family property isn’t
suitable at all for road construction and for a reason having nothing to do
with engineering. Rather, she intimated, the entirety of that sizable
property is zoned B-2 and the construction of a road right through the
middle of it could open a huge new swath of retail sales. “There’s been a
lot of talk about robbing the Downtown,” Darnell said. “Would that not be an
issue too? Just thinking long term.”
“Are you suggesting the zoning should change?” Member Mike Bannon asked.
“Just thinking out loud,” Darnell replied.
For his part President David Canright—managing editor of the Chesterton
Tribune—noted that the issue of zoning is properly a concern of the Plan
Commission, not of the Redevelopment Commission, and that in any case, if
memory served him, the current B-2 zone was originally so designated over
the objection of the Smith family.
More to the point, though, the whole idea of the Dickinson Road extension is
to provide a north/south alternative to Ind. 49, not only to relieve
pressure on that heavily used route, but also as a direct and easy link from
the business district on Indian Boundary Road to the business districts on
Porter Ave. and in Coffee Creek Center. “The TIF district as drawn from the
very beginning had this as one of its priorities,” he said. “We never had
anyone show any hesitation that this is needed as a safety alternative. I
don’t know if the issue of zoning should affect this project.”
Canright added that the purchase of the land in no way “sets a time table”
for actually beginning the project. “It would only be prudent to get that
land into the town’s possession so we don’t have to pay through the nose
later,” he said.
Still, Canright was amenable to tabling discussion of a preliminary
engineering study of the Smith family land to another time. Bannon, however,
urged his colleagues not to wait, and in the end they agreed by consensus to
schedule a special meeting for 6:30 p.m. April 10 for the purpose of hearing
Town Engineer Mark O’Dell report on the specific parameters of such a study.
Meanwhile, the big question remains unanswered, though not unasked: would
the Dickinson Road extension go over the CSX railroad tracks or beneath it?
O’Dell said that an underpass would be more expensive than an overpass,
would have more impact on CSX operations, and would necessitate the
construction of a temporary bridge for the railroad. The cheapest and
easiest option, of course, would be an at-grade crossing, O’Dell observed,
but the town would likely have to relinquish two other at-grade crossings in
exchange.
“They don’t come free,” Bannon said.
“No, they come with strings attached,” O’Dell replied.
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Posted 3/14/2006
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