A Crown Point warehouse development has taken another step forward. Venture One Real Estate plans to build two one-million-square-foot buildings along the east side of I-65, south of 101st Avenue. The city council voted Monday to rezone the property from agricultural to business park development, with Scott Evorik casting the lone opposing vote.
Residents of the nearby Waterside Crossing subdivision had voiced concerns about traffic, safety and the impact on their property values. Venture One's attorney, Jim Wieser, said the developer met with them to have more discussions.
"I felt that we had satisfied and gone a long way to satisfying the concerns that they had relative to traffic, relative to screening, relative to noise, and I thought it went extremely well," Wieser told council members.
Mayor Pete Land commended Venture One and the residents for the discussions, saying the open dialogue was how the process should work. Council members also approved a developer agreement, paving the way for a tax abatement and TIF financing.
Additionally, the council is considering plans for a mixed-use development at the northwest corner of I-65 and U.S. 231. Engineer Jeff Ban with DVG says the 114-acre Fountains development is designed to be a landmark project that'll serve Northwest Indiana for generations.
"It is a project that will integrate residential with commercial, with office, with their experiential retail," Ban explained.
Evorik wants to see a provision barring the townhomes planned as part of the project from being rented out to other tenants. An ordinance approving preliminary plans for the Fountains' planned unit development will likely be up for final approval on June 3.
