Phase I was a collaborative effort of the lakefront communities of East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Portage and Whiting, the office of Congressman Pete Visclosky and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to develop a comprehensive land use vision to guide reinvestment efforts to reclaim Indiana’s lakefront – from the Indiana / Illinois state line to the Burns Harbor International Port in Portage, Indiana – as a livable lakefront. The Plan highlights a changing landscape where more compact viable industries co-exist with public parks, mixed-use neighborhoods and business oriented developments. It’s a Plan about balance – between nature and industry, between public access and privacy, between old jobs and new economies, between redevelopment and restoration and between heritage and a new way of life.
Marquette Plan Phase I – PDF
The Phase II study area includes twenty-six miles of lakefront and is comprised of a series of connected dune and swale landscapes, beaches, vast natural resources and attractions, and a range of diverse habitats that co-exists with the built environment. The area includes two cities, eleven towns, two counties and serves as home to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes State Park, and the Burns Harbor International Port in Portage, Indiana. The Plan also considers the numerous local and regional planning documents guiding development in the study area including: NIRPC’s Greenways and Blueways Plan, NIRPC’s Ped and Pedal Plan, the Porter County Comprehensive Plan, and the Michigan City North End Plan. The Plan re-emphasizes the need for collaboration across the region. Only through collaboration and a transparent, open dialogue will the Marquette vision be realized. Toward that end, a series of multi-jurisdictional community-endorsed short-term projects have been identified to unite the diverse stakeholders of the study area.
Marquette Plan Phase II – PDF