Michigan City is still working on planning how to best redevelop the Indiana State Penitentiary in the future, but it's no longer known how soon the future will come.
Indiana no longer plans to immediately close the prison that's long been a drag on property values on Michigan City's west side when it opens its new $1.2 billion Westville Correctional Facility. The state planned to close the 165-year-old prison that once incarcerated the infamous bank robber John Dillinger in 2026 and transfer it by 2029.
"DOC’s population has been growing for the last several months, and we are focused on utilizing our current space efficiently, which includes the space at Indiana State Prison," Department of Corrections Chief Communications Officer Annie Goeller said.
The state no longer has a timeline for transferring the property to the city so it can be redeveloped.
"DOC still intends to close Westville Correctional Facility with the opening of the new Northwest Indiana Correctional Facility," Goeller said. "We have been collaborating with state and local officials on the future of the Indiana State Prison, which we intend to keep open for some time after the opening of the new facility. At this time, we have not yet determined how long that will be."
Michigan City has brought on consultants and held a public hearing on how to repurpose the site where the prison has stood since before the Civil War. Residents and city officials have suggested a mixed-used development that would focus on housing and could include green space, historical remnants like potentially the chapel and possibly a museum.
“Hoosier taxpayers have already invested more than $1.2 billion in construction and upgrades at the new Northwest Correctional Facility and were given a clear promise that the outdated Michigan City Prison would close,” State Senator Rodney Pol Jr. (D-Chesterton) said. “Now, instead of following through, the state is backtracking on that commitment. Keeping it open not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also stalls critical opportunities to bring new housing, new businesses and much-needed growth to a community that borders our National Park."
Pol said the prison is too old and costly to maintain and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of state READI funds already have gone into the future redevelopment plans.
“This facility should not be used as a political pawn. Hoosier taxpayers should not be paying for the operation of the federal government," Pol said. “Holcomb had it right. He understood what this meant for Michigan City and for Northwest Indiana. Instead of undermining that progress, Governor Braun should honor the state’s commitments and let our community move forward.”
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