La PORTE — Over the past year, La Porte has focused on the construction of new housing, while also seeing economic rejuvenation in other areas of the city.
“2023 has been about residential development in the city,” La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership Director Bert Cook said at the Nov. 27 La Porte Rotary Club meeting.
Earlier this year, The Healthcare Foundation of La Porte released a housing study, which called for adding more than 900 for-sale housing units and more than 750 rental units over the next few years.
“I think you can’t process that document without walking away just being sort of in awe of the dramatic need that exists ... whether that’s single-family homes, rentals, affordable, high end – we spanned the spectrum. We have just desperate need in all of those areas,” Cook said.
Because of that, the city has taken on several significant projects. “Some have been completed, others are in process and still others are getting ready to start in 2024,” Cook said.
The Banks, a high-end apartment complex in NewPorte Landing with 194 resort style apartments, was built in 2021-22 and came fully online this year.
“It’s really interesting to me that they have seen almost full occupancy,” Cook said. “Basically, the day the units became available, people have leased those.”
Along 18th Street, regional builder Steiner Homes has begun the development of 24 homes. “I know those homes will be very popular. Typically, when you see a development occur around a school ... you see people want to live in those types of areas,” Cook said.
Other projects include local builder Mitch Feikes’ Whispering Meadows; East Shore Preserve’s townhomes along East Shore Parkway, which has a second phase under construction; and the Habitat for Humanity project at the site of the former Tibma Bakery.
More projects, Cook said, are coming.
“I think anyone would tell you the economy is a little challenging in terms of residential development, but our need is so great it seems like it outweighs that. We’re hopeful, like anyone, that interest rates go down.”
The former La Porte Hospital was demolished this fall, and Cook said there has been a lot of discussion as to the future of the eight-acre site.
“I think it’s going to be very important. Many people within the city see a central gathering space being a component of that. From a financial standpoint it’s also going to become some sort of development,” Cook said.
“The hospital itself owns the property. They are seeking proposals from developers who will either acquire or partner with them.”
Across the street from the old hospital site, the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters purchased the building at 1100 Lincoln Way. Originally a NIPSCO building, it was later purchased by the hospital, serving as office space.
“The second floor will be their new union hall and the first floor they have prepped for a restaurant with outdoor dining. If you’ve driven by, you’ve seen they’re putting on a new facade,” Cook said.
Regarding commercial development, Pine Lake Resort and Banquet Center on Pine Lake Avenue has renovated its rooms and banquet area. Pizzeria Uno now operates out of the restaurant space.
“The new owners have invested heavily ... They seem to have had success with Pizzeria Uno and I hope that encourages them to continue to invest,” Cook said.
On the west side, a new medical office building, Fast Pace Urgent Care, is almost complete and the Strieter’s building on the west side of Kabelin’s will come down.
“They received a grant from the Urban Enterprise Association to take the building down and ultimately will construct a new medical office building there, which I think will parallel with the space across the street,” Cook said.
In the downtown, he said the strategy has been niche restaurants and professional offices, which are not reliant on significant parking.
“But that can only take you so far. You have to be able to add to that at some point,” Cook said.
He stressed that the city must find a way to reroute truck traffic out of the downtown to improve traffic flow. “If you look at any thriving downtown, they all have one consistency and that’s pedestrian traffic is safe and comfortable. We’re not that. We’re the exact opposite.”
Most recently, he said, “... we’ve had more discussion around Washington Street and potentially rerouting truck traffic through Washington to free up that kind of center of our downtown.”
Buildings downtown, he said, have been purchased by individuals who have chosen not to make investments or locate businesses there. “We have to figure out a way to deal with some of that.
“We have plenty of people who are actively looking for buildings downtown, unfortunately we just have a hard time pairing them with buildings that are available, ready for some type of development.”
Regarding industrial development, in 2020 the Qualls family built a 150,000-square-foot spec building in the Thomas Rose Industrial Park, which now houses Gravure Ink and American Renolit.
Cook said they are now building a second 150,000-square-foot building. “There’s continued market for that type of space. It should be done early summer of next year. We’ll continue to look for tenants for that building as well.”
NIPSCO will be expanding its training facility on Zigler Road, he said. “They looked at all of the different markets ... and chose to invest here in La Porte. It will allow them to service a much larger amount of people.
“We’re drawing in NIPSCO employees from all across the market. Those people typically stay here, eat at our restaurants, use our gas stations, groceries.”
Common questions Cook hears include the status of attracting a grocer for the west side. “Franky, we just have not had success there. We’re probably getting to a place where we need to figure out a different route. I think we’ve talked to every grocer on the face of the earth.”
Another frequent question is the future of 150 Pine Lake Ave., the former Don George Ford property. The city demolished the structure on the site in 2021.
“The city is very cognizant of not making a mistake in terms of what gets put there. You could exacerbate the traffic issues. That’s one of our worst traffic areas ... We’re content to wait for the right firm to deal with.”