Hobart officials moved forward with their plans for a data center, Crown Point ratified a zoning change for housing construction and incumbents reigned supreme in municipal races that also welcomed several new faces in local government throughout the last week.
Here are recaps of three stories you might have missed:
Hobart Plan Commission approves data center site plan; When: Thursday, May 7
Key takeaways:
The commission approved two site plans for Amazon’s data center project totaling more than 750 acres during a nearly five-hour standing-room-only meeting inside Hobart City Court.
The Plan Commission voted 8-0 to approve the two site plans.
Residents stepped up for more than an hour of public comments that almost exclusively opposed the project over concerns about community health, noise, the nearby environment, nearby residents, property values, the future of Hobart and much more. At one point, as many as 50 residents were in the live Zoom meeting online.
An attorney for one of the site developers praised the plan and called multiple consultants to discuss how they plan to address concerns and review factors such as roadways, noise and the environment.
Still, a group of residents stayed past 10:30 p.m. to discuss their concerns following the initial comment period and statements from the experts.
Dyer, Schererville, Winfield and Cedar Lake primaries; When: Tuesday, May 5
Key takeaways:
Schererville’s long-time incumbent Kevin Connelly swatted away a challenge from former police officer and current high school baseball coach Jeff Myszak in the Town Council primary, moving forward to the general election to vie for a fifth term on the council. Read more about this race on our website.
In Dyer, new face Kyle Rizzo defeated Mary Tanis, while incumbent Annette Ludwig took a major step toward retaining her seat with a victory over challenger Mike Wargo in the Republican primary on Tuesday night. Read more about this election on nwitimes.com.
Winfield incumbents came out on top in a relatively tight race for the Republican Town Council nomination on Tuesday, led by current Council President Zack Beaver. Councilor Jon Derwinski followed behind in second place to fend off a challenge from Jayson Villars. More on this race is available on The Times’ website.
Cedar Lake’s 2nd Ward race was won by Wayne Witvoet, who reeled in a lead-taking 401 votes to fend off challengers Peggy Theil and Charles McMillion. Check out more coverage of this race online.
Full coverage of Lake County’s races, from Congress to the Sheriff’s Office to townships and more, is available through The Times’ website.
Crown Point City Council approves rezoning for housing development; When: Monday, May 4
Key takeaways:
Crown Point gave first approval to a rezoning of just over 100 acres of property on the city’s southeast side that is set to become more housing.
Lennar Homes has plans to develop the property into 172 single-family units, and the city’s rezoning allows for a higher-density development, reducing the minimum lot size restrictions from 100 feet down to 80 feet.
The council will still need to approve a second reading to formally adopt the rezoning. The approval is contingent on a binding agreement between the developer and property owners that the project will not exceed 172 lots or reduce lot sizes below the current 80-foot minimum.
The council is expected to consider that second reading at its next meeting on June 1.
A full recording of the council meeting is available on the City of Crown Point’s YouTube page.
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