By PAULENE POPARAD

Developers still want to build a major retail mall in Coffee Creek Center and will present an amended plan of development to the Chesterton Advisory Plan Commission early this summer.

Described in July of last year by Illinois-based PBR Development as a proposed 442,372 square-feet of commercial space on 42 acres between Gateway and Voyage boulevards east of State Road 49, PBR has been firming up commitments from tenants before returning to the commission after members requested specifics regarding PBR’s plans.

In addition Thursday, attorney Clyde Compton told the commission he hopes to be on the agenda soon to present plans for a new Coffee Creek residential development with other uses on the north and south sides of Gateway Boulevard extended to approximately County Road 200E.

This would require the developer to build a bridge over Coffee Creek and its watershed, creating an opportunity for the town to extend Dickinson Road to the south.

Compton said he was providing the update in the wake of an April 6 article in The Times of Northwest Indiana quoting developer James Gierczyk, who owns considerable acreage in Coffee Creek Center, as saying he is pursuing having a hospital locate there.

That was news to Chesterton town officials.

Compton apologized and said he understood Plan Commission and Town Council members were justifiably upset. Town officials should learn about plans from the developer, not the newspaper, he stated, but that won’t happen again in Coffee Creek.

“I will do whatever I can to make sure lines of communication stay open in the future,” Compton assured.

During earlier discussions with Compton when Coffee Creek was granted recent approvals for the 94-unit Village Green Townhomes, now under construction, the commission said it wanted land for a public park reserved before another project is considered. Commission member Steve Yagelski asked Thursday if the park site has been identified.

Compton said 17 acres south of Porter Avenue between State Road 49 and Dickinson Road is being considered.

A second development update was presented to the commission by attorney Greg Babcock representing Larry Wright and Don Coker; they will propose Springdale subdivision on 40 acres south of County Road 1050N east of State Road 149 pending finalization of an annexation of the land by Chesterton.

Babcock said 45 single-family homes closest to Abercrombie Woods subdivision to the east are proposed, as are 20 lots of paired-patio homes in Springdale, a six-unit residential building and about 15 acres on the far west side for commercial uses to be a buffer between industrial buildings closer to State Road 149.

Babcock asked for comments on the plan. Member Mike Bannon said he didn’t want a high-density residential building in the subdivision, a position shared by member Frank Sessa. Member George Stone suggested mixing the single-family and duplex living units together throughout the subdivision for a more interesting development.

Commission President Fred Owens said Babcock did not identify any park land. Babcock said there is unimproved park land in the Crocker area north of Springdale and its developers are considering donating $60,000 to be used by the Chesterton Park Board to upgrade the site.

Babcock reminded the commission that allowing commercial uses, possibly a convenience store, offices or a restaurant, on Springdale’s west side will generate more property taxes Chesterton can use to provide services to the newly annexed area. He also noted that Springdale’s lots on the east side will match the size of the abutting Abercrombie lots.

The PBR mall apparently will be seeking zoning approvals at the same time a 333,795 square-foot retail mall dubbed Mills Pond will be reviewed by the commission. Last month plans were unveiled for the 40-acre project at the southeast corner of State Road 49 and County Road 1100N.

The Mills Pond site is the same one where the commission in early 2006 rejected a 351,419 square-foot retail mall proposed by GK Development. The potential for traffic and other problems in GK’s plans for the most part appear to have been resolved in the current Mills Pond development plan, said commission members March 15.

Posted 4/20/2007