Northwestern Indiana in 2040

[Bill Brown]

What do we want to be when we grow up? How should the Northwestern Indiana region grow and develop over the next thirty years? These are some of the issues that the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) is working on in the first three-county comprehensive regional plan. More information can be found on the NIRPC Website at www.nirpc.org.

[Mark Maloney]

Chicago "Burb" culture will continue to expand. The North, Northwest, West and Southwest Suburbs or Chicago are saturated. Merrillville, Schererville, Crown Point, Valparaiso, Portage and Hobart will continue to grow and expand. Once the economy turns the corner in 2010 I look for a residential and commercial boom in these regions. It would not surprise me to see the region add 1,000,000 people by 2025 and even more by 2040.

I think smaller communities like Wheeler and South Haven will struggle to survive and will ultimately be absorped into communities like Hobart and Valparaiso respectively. I think agribusiness and dense industrial will all but die in the region. I look for retail, light industrial, hotel, rail and technology to flourish in the next 15 to 20 years.

I think "major" mall developments will replace the strip malls that currently dot the landscape. Valparaiso and Portage would be the ideal locations for these. The only options in NWI are Michigan City and Merrillville/Hobart. Currently the industry struggles but I think that will turn in the next 12-18 months. Some of the infrastructure for this development is already in place in Portage with the IMAX, Kohls and Buffalo Wild Wings near the High School.

Major Industrial Complexes are going to disappear the way of the do do bird. Most of the steelworks will be gone or downsized dramatically. I also look for a large majority of refineries to shut their doors as America moves towards renewable energy. However, the NWI blue collar community will have opportunities. I look for the computer/electronic component, clothes and home accessory industries to pick up steam.

The hotel industry should continue to thrive in NW Indiana. A key component to this growth will be rezoning around the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Chicagoans often have to travel to New Buffalo, Michigan City, IN and the state of Michigan for beach and lake entertainment. Development of the land around the Dunes (and South Shore) could stand to be extremely profitable. Another add on to that would be the gambling industry. Legalized gambling along the lakeshore could bring millions of additional dollars to the region.

The final industry is the computer development and services industry. As small to medium sized businesses spring up all over NWI there will be a need to develop and maintain their computer systems. I look for this industry to double by 2025.

In closing, the future is very bright for NWI. Retail, property and other business taxes in Chicago are brutal and it is important for Indiana's tax rates to stay competitive to accomodate the small and medium sized businesses that will eventually move out of Chicagoland. The Illinois burbs are saturated and some have oppressive taxes of their own. NWI can be a "safe haven" of sorts for businesses wanting to get out of Illinois but remain close to the Chicago area. NWI also has affordable, family-friendly housing. As families flee Cook County, NWI should be their first option as an area to work, live and play. And with this migration East us Hoosiers/Region Rats should open our arms to those making the move because it will make our community that much stronger.