The transit development district for Beverly Shores and The Pines is headed to the State Budget Committee for final approval.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these communities to help with their very small commercial districts, Beverly Shores Town Council member Geof Benson said.
The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority gave its blessing to the proposal on Thursday, following the second of two public hearings by the agency. Both town councils also approved the plan.
The district would be a total of 165.3 acres, 34.4 of them in Beverly Shores and 130.9 acres in The Pines.
The iconic train station is in Beverly Shores, so ordinarily that would be where the district would be located. But including The Pines, immediately east of Beverly Shores, allows development to occur along U.S. 12 in both communities.
“They really need sewers,” so the two towns joined together to allow the Michigan City Sanitary District to extend sewers to the towns, consultant Aaron Kowalsky of MKSK said. Both towns now rely on septic systems. Commercial development is far more likely to occur after the sewers are available.
“This could really complement those towns’ economic development growth path,” Kowalsky said.
In mapping out the acreage included in the district, the RDA and the towns made it a point to exclude Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park property, which can’t be developed.
Transit development districts work much like a tax increment financing district but with the added sweetener of capturing the increase in income tax revenue resulting from new development there.
As with districts created around other South Shore Line stations, the district can be expanded one time, up to twice the original size.
The State Budget Committee is expected to give its approval this summer, RDA President and CEO Sherri Ziller said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
