Winter-2006

85001_GVCC_Mag.qxd 1/13/06 9:11 AM Page 16
Ask An Expert
This new column provides expert answers
to your business questions. If you would like
to submit questions, please either email them
with the subject line “Ask the Expert,” to
info@valparaisochamber.org or mail them
to Valparaiso Magazine (162 W. Lincolnway,
Valparaiso, IN 46383).
Questions answered by Stu Summers and
the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission.
1) Earlier this year, when improvements
were made to LaPorte, why wasn't the
section of LaPorte in front of Culvers and
Dairy Queen widened to include a center
turn lane so that vehicles making a turn from
the opposite sides of the street could safely
turn into Culvers or Dairy Queen without
holding up traffic?
The portion of LaPorte Avenue from
Culvers west to Sturdy is part of the roundabout
project. Design for the roundabout was
completed in the Fall of 2005. The Indiana
Department of Transportation will review and
approve the plans this winter. Some right of
way will need to be acquired for the
roundabout. Later this winter or in early
Spring 2006, we hope to take bids on
constructing the roundabout, for completion
in late fall of 2006. New turning
movements and pathways will be part of the
roundabout project.
2) What will happen with the building that
used to house Century 21 Estates in the
middle of the proposed roundabout?
Expert Answers To Your Business Questions
The Redevelopment Commission bought
the triangle building last year to make room for
the roundabout connecting south Sturdy Road
with Lincolnway and LaPorte Avenues. The
building is one of the better looking structures
in the neighborhood and the primary plan is to
relocate the building to another site in the East
Gate area. Engineers for Greg Engstrom are
reviewing the feasibility of moving the
building to a vacant parcel on
Chicago Street directly north of
Engstrom’s Ameripawn. If the
building cannot be recycled for
another use, it will be stripped
and demolished to make way
for the roundabout.
3) What will happen to the
land where the old Red Hots
and Larry Miller Glass used to
be located?
After the roundabout is
completed in late 2006, the
excess land (about one acre) will be sold to
the highest and best bidder. The land is
zoned commercial.
4) What is going to be developed on the
empty lot at the corner of Lincolnway
and Campbell?
The parcel is outside of the Redevelopment
area. City Economic Development Director
Charles McGill reports the Langer & Langer
law firm purchased the property and is
planning on making a substantial investment
in a new building for their practice.
5) What is the difference between
redevelopment and economic development?
Both economic development and redevelopment
serve two basic purposes: To grow
the tax base of the community while reducing
the demand for expensive governmental
services. For example, when a new employer
comes to town and builds a building, property
taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes to state and
Redevelopment Commission Meets
local governments go up, while the need for
welfare, unemployment assistance, and public
protection services go down because of the
new jobs and increased employment.
Redevelopment is a subset of economic
development and involves numerous
governmental tools needed to address the special
challenges and difficulties facing previously
developed areas. In Valparaiso, this typically
means the extension or rebuilding of roads,
pathways, and utilities to make way for new economic
and community development projects.
Continued on page 18
16 Valpo Magazine Winter 2006
ww