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By VICKI URBANIK The approximately 25 people who attended a meeting Thursday on Porter County’s proposed new corridor plan got a chance to show what kind of new development -- if any -- they’d like to see along the major roads, like U.S. 6 and Ind. 49. Held at the Porter County Expo Center, the meeting was the second public workshop so far on the county’s corridor plan, which is intended to help guide growth along the major roadways in the unincorporated areas. The consultants for the project gave each audience member a series of photos representing different types of development that can occur along main roads. Each participant was asked to rank how they feel about the different types. For example, in rural areas, development might consist of a scattering of homes amidst farm land. Or, there could be high-density subdivisions or subdivisions with clustered housing, trails and open spaces. Commercial development, on the other hand, could consist of stores spread out over a large section or built in more of a compact space with limited access and buffer areas. Residential development near towns and cities could include a very defined border between the municipality and the unincorporated area or an extension of the municipality’s grid system to expand the housing. After filling out their individual questionnaires, audience members were also invited to place stickers on over-sized maps of Porter County showing what specific types of development they’d like to see and where. The feedback from the audience ran the gamut. Many areas along the roads had no stickers at all, likely signifying that the audience members don’t want to see any development in those areas. But on the map for U.S. 6 west of Ind. 49, plenty of stickers were placed, ranging from those who want ample commercial development to those who wanted cluster-type residential subdivisions. The consultants, Ratio Architects and Development Concepts Inc., will now review the audience members’ questionnaires to incorporate into the next phase of the project, which is expected to include goals and objectives for the plan. The results of Thursday’s meeting will also be available on the project’s webpage, as are the results from the previous meetings held on the plan. The website is at www.communitycollaborate.com So far, the consultants have put together some general goals based on the feedback so far. These include reducing congestion on the main roads, preserving the rural areas, developing pathways and greenways, discouraging “leapfrog” developments and overcommercialization, promoting smart-growth concepts countywide, and encouraging transit-oriented developments near existing transportation routes. To Porter County’s credit, said consultant Glenn Gareis of DCI, a strong emphasis has been on redevelopment, with those involved saying that the county should develop by using the infrastructure that already exists “instead of opening up new territory.” Gareis said that redevelopment can be tricky and that it’s often easier to develop in the rural areas. But he also cited the problems that neighboring Lake County is experiencing due to some of its development decisions. “It sounds like you are asking a lot of the right questions,” he said of the Porter County residents who have been involved in the corridor planning. One audience member Thursday questioned how the county will deal with added stormwater if it proceeds with so much new development; consultant Pete Fritz from Ratio said increasingly, stormwater can be treated on site. Another audience member said that as the county grows, more services will be needed, but that many new businesses are not located on roads that are accessible year round due to frost laws. Another audience member took exception to the characterization that rural areas aren’t “developed,” noting that agriculture is a booming industry and that much of Porter County is no longer in a pristine natural state; the speaker said it would be more accurate to say that one type of development is being substituted for another in the rural areas.
Posted 9/26/2008
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