A private consulting firm hired by Northwest Indiana communities said the proposed LaPorte intermodal should be at least 5,000 acres, which is nearly double the initial estimates.
Texas-based Duncan Associates released its 79-page blueprint after studying the LaPorte region for two years. Once LaPorte officials review and approve the plan, they will start making zoning changes to facilitate the implementation of the changes.
The report outlined various locations within LaPorte where the intermodal would ideally be situated. The most optimal location for the facility would be the Kingsford Heights site, which has direct access to railroads and to U.S. 35 and U.S. 6. But, the report said, the site is limited because the land is owned by multiple people and contamination in that area would make cleaning costly.
Duncan Associates said the land in Union Mills, which also has easy access to U.S. 6 and to U.S. 421 and is situated at the crossing of two major railroads, would have the largest clear land area. However, it would also be the most expensive site in which to place improved roads and sewer lines.
The other potential site would be along Indiana 2, west of the city of LaPorte, the report said. It only has access to one rail line, but is very close to Indiana 2, which is a four-lane divided highway. The site doesn't have utilities, but it can easily be served from the city of LaPorte.
Connie Cooper, a consultant who worked on the plan with Duncan Associates, said they based their data on speculation and reports of the intermodal.
"You've got the intermodal facility, which is only about 500 acres," said Mitch Bishop, LaPorte County planner. "But then you have all the warehousing, manufacturing and other buildings. Typically, when you count all that, it could be substantially large."
While no one but the developer knows exactly how big the planned intermodal will be, the 5,000-acre number is scaring local residents.
Blair Purcell, spokesman for Stop Intermodal Save Our County, said it's too large. " To think they would turn our Indiana farmland into this kind of an operation is just beyond comprehension," Purcell said.