“It sounds to me this will be a pretty big step,” said Porter Redevelopment Commission member Al Raffin.

At his urging the commission scheduled a special meeting for March 15 at 6 p.m. to discuss in more detail various options for the town to develop the 31-acre Brickyard parcel on Beam Street it purchased late last year.

Consultant A.J. Monroe of SEH Inc. laid out those options Tuesday saying the commission would have an estimated maximum bonding capacity of $5.5 million available to develop the property, currently eyed for mixed residential/commercial use with land reserved for a future fire station.

Porter could either move forward as the developer itself, in partnership with others or turn the project over to someone else. Hybrids of those options and endless strategies could be used as well at various stages of development, said Monroe.

He described as examples past projects in Portage (Ameriplex) and Valparaiso (the East Lincolnway redevelopment area). Raffin said he wants to hear more about them, how much they cost and what the respective cities’ involvement has been.

Closely related to any development in Porter’s case will be to what degree the Redevelopment Commission, whose annual income is based on a portion of property taxes generated within designated districts, wants to include upgrading the town’s antiquated sanitary-sewer collection system as part of its plans.

The Brickyard parcel’s sewage would feed into the problem-plagued Porter Avenue lift station for which last year an unsuccessful $800,000 grant was sought. A conceptual new-urbanism layout for the Brickyard made public Oct. 27, 2009 showed potentially 193 housing units and additional commercial and municipal uses in what is planned as an extension of Porter’s downtown.

A committee of town officials, property owners and residents are meeting publicly to recommend the most efficient and effective way to upgrade the sewer system and how to pay for it. A $4 million bond issue/loan for that work has been discussed.

Monroe said a separate committee has been studying privately how to take the next step regarding the Brickyard land, purchased for $350,000 using Redevelopment Commission funds but appraised at just over $1 million based on comparable area sales of similarly zoned land.

The Brickyard committee members were identified after the meeting as Monroe, town director of engineering and development Matt Keiser, Redevelopment Commission president Bruce Snyder and member Jon Granat.

Monroe said the Brickyard committee believes probably the most appropriate course of action is finding an experienced developer to work in concert with the town to assure the project’s success. Requests for qualifications to help select a developer could be sought.

Allocation of costs would be key, said Monroe.

Although the town’s financial consultant estimates the commission could bond for up to $5.5 million, “The Brickyard isn’t the whole nut. There are other projects you want to do.” Monroe said the commission may want to hold back some bonding capacity in reserve.

Town attorney Patrick Lyp said from his experience a defined project comes first, its costs are known and what the commission’s component of that is identifed. A big issue is the market and timing as well, he added.

Snyder asked commission members which development approach they prefer. Said Raffin, “I’d like more information. I don’t feel comfortable making that decision in this period of time.”

Replied Snyder, “I know it’s a big decision,” but he said the commission could modify its approach along the way as needed once it started moving forward on the Brickyard project; Lyp agreed.

Monroe said he didn’t see any harm in discussing it more, especially since the matters involved are very serious issues for the town.

Regarding the sanitary sewer system, Keiser told the commission, “It’s too big to fail is the way you need to look at it. This isn’t something we can walk away from. This is Town Infrastructure 101.”

Keiser had some good news: the Indiana Department of Transportation has moved up bid letting for the planned Brickyard Trail with construction now slated to begin in August or September and completion in 12 months.

Keiser said INDOT wants to be ready in the event a second federal stimulus bill or a jobs bill is passed. Even if they fall through, he noted, INDOT still wants to go for a June/July bid letting. Cost is estimated to be under $2 million.

The nearly 3-mile hike/bike trail starts at the Calumet Trail on Mineral Springs Road and proceeds south over U.S. 12 and U.S. 20 via pre-fabricated bridges and approach structures through Porter terminating at Wagner Road and Lincoln Street in downtown Porter.

Plans for the trail began almost a decade ago; after federal grants for most of the cost were awarded, the route was changed several times. The Brickyard Trail will end three blocks from but not directly connect to the Prairie Duneland Trail in Chesterton.

Porter also plans to build the Orchard Pedestrian Way along Waverly Road, and its leg of the planned Dunes Kankakee Trail.

By unanimous vote the commission authorized Keiser to seek bids to build an overflow 14-space parking lot for the town hall. It will be on town-owned property with frontage on Lincoln Street and accessible across an alley southeast of the 10-car town hall lot.

Keiser said the town hall is also an election polling place, and there is a general lack of downtown parking. He noted there is still a need to look for additional parking areas.

Posted 2/24/2010