For more than three decades, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, city of Hammond and town of Munster have maintained ownership of a segment of the old Monon Railroad right-of-way in anticipation of extending the South Shore Line to Dyer.
But that right-of-way constitutes only part of the land NICTD will need for the tracks and electric catenary, four train stations, parking lots, maintenance facility and layover yard that make up the West Lake Corridor project. The railroad's preferred plan requires the acquisition of all or part of 319 privately and publicly owned parcels, covering nearly 140 acres in Hammond, Munster and Dyer.
A total of 147 of the necessary acquisitions will be full residential parcels, and 42 will require portions of residential property, according to the project's draft environmental impact statement.
Those purchases are expected to lead to 91 "displacements," defined as "nonvacant property of which over 50 percent would be acquired." Generally, a displacement occurs when the economic viability or continued use of the property is affected.
Another 23 acquisitions would displace owners of business-classified properties, and 60 would impact municipal and other owners.
A proposed Ridge Road station in Munster would require several property acquisitions, according to the draft EIS, including some older South Street homes that were once farms.
"I've loved living here," Adeline Koester, a resident for about 50 years, said. "It's heaven on Earth for me."
Down the line, at Main Street on the Munster-Dyer border, a relatively undeveloped area offers a convenient location for a southern terminus, but some residents of Munster's Community Estates and others along Sheffield Avenue in Dyer would have to move if the project proceeds as planned.
"I'm not happy about it," said Mary Kish, who lives in a Munster town house along the proposed rail line. The message she said she's received, though, is that "it's pretty much a done deal."
Kish, who moved a year ago with her husband, daughter and two granddaughters, is among the recent home buyers who didn't know about the project when they moved in.
"I wasn't aware it was coming," she said. "We weren't told anything about it."
For Kish, moving again will be difficult.
"I guess progress happens, but I don't want it to happen to me," she said with a laugh.
Don and Marilyn Kaegebein live in one of the few homes dotting the Community Estates neighborhood. Their home would not be taken as a result of NICTD's preferred plan, but they've spent recent years concerned about it, and don't feel out of the woods yet.
Don, a "rail fan" — or "train nut," in his wife's describing — said he's been aware of South Shore extension talk for years and has been attending workshops and meetings. But the variety of alternatives, and their potential impact on the Kaegebein's property, has remained a concern.
"I'm not totally against it," Kaegebein said of the rail project. "I would just like to know what they're really going to do so we can plan accordingly."
Kaegebein will get a chance to learn more at public hearings this month on the project. And he said NICTD's designation of a preferred plan in the draft EIS published last month has helped.
"I feel a little bit better that we're not going to have to move," he said.
The bulk of the property acquisitions would be necessary to accommodate tracks and related infrastructure, according to the draft EIS. All or part of 178 parcels, totaling 62 acres, would need to be purchased for that purpose.
That would lead to 61 residential, 11 commercial and three industrial displacements. Another 27 parcels, owned by municipalities or other entities, would also be needed.
The realignment of the existing South Shore tracks in the area of the new Gateway Station would require acquisition of two residential properties, displacing their residents.
The West Lake Corridor's stations and rail yards would require these purchases:
• Hammond Gateway station and parking: 60 parcels, including 12 residential and two industrial displacements.
• North Hammond maintenance facility: 28 acquisitions, including six residential displacements, one commercial and four industrial.
• South Hammond station and parking: No property acquisitions necessary.
• Munster Ridge Road station: 37 acquisitions, including four residential displacements. A total of 29 parcels are town-owned, vacant land north of Ridge Road that were once the site of town houses. The land would be used for an overflow parking lot.
• Munster/Dyer Main Street station, parking lot and layover yard: 13 acquisitions, including eight residential displacements.
Removing the privately held properties from the tax roles would reduce local governments' revenue by about $323,000 to $327,000 annually, according to the draft EIS. The taxable value of the property is estimated at $7.4 million to $7.5 million, constituting a 0.044 percent reduction in the tax base.
Project proponents argue the tax decrease would be overwhelmed by tax revenue increases the project will bring. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority's strategic plan predicts additional property tax revenue of $207 million over 20 years.
For property owners who are facing displacement, NICTD would begin acquisition negotiations when the project enters the federally designated engineering phase — late this year if the project moves through the federal approval process as planned.
Federal, state and local laws govern property acquisitions for transit projects. The federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Polices Act requires an appraisal to be done, then reviewed by a second appraiser, to determine a property's value. After a purchase offer is made, property owners are guaranteed time to review the offer and to make a counteroffer if they desire.
Displaced residents are also typically reimbursed for moving costs, and are eligible for other financial assistance that helps them find a new home comparable to the home they're leaving. Relocation agents will contact property owners to explain services available to assist in their move.
Businesses are also paid moving expenses, and can be eligible for costs associated with re-establishment of operations among other payments.