City of Whiting Indiana: Commercial Redevelopment Plan

CITY OF WHITING INDIANA Commercial Redevelopment Plan

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

August 2005

Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan University of Illinois at Chicago City Design Center January 2005 - August 2005 Principal Investigator: Brent D. Ryan, Co-Director UIC City Design Center, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Policy, UIC Co- Principal Investigators: Rachel N. Weber, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Policy, UIC Martin S. Jaffe, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Policy, UIC Research Assistants and Writers:

Jesse A. Elam Howard M. Fink T. Abraham Lentner

Editor: Design:

Brent D. Ryan Michael Brown

Transportation Analysis Performed By:

Sue McNeil, Director UIC Urban Transportation Center, Professor of Urban Planning and Policy, UIC

For questions regarding this plan contact: City Design Center Universtiy of Illinois at Chicago 820 West Jackson Boulevard Suite 330 Chicago, Il 60607 phone: 312-996-4717

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by City Design unless noted.

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Project Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Project Timeline and Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Existing Conditions Land. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Labor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Capital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Vision Mayor’s Advisory Task Force Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Stakeholder interviews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 119th Street Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Redevelopment Scenario Evaluation Objectives and evaluation criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Economic impacts Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Scenarios evaluated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Recommendations and Implementation Land Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Requests for proposal overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Appendix A Economic impacts model Appendix B Requests for proposal detail Appendix C Traffic impact analysis and accommodations

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The City Design Center Whiting Planning Team gratefully acknowledges the work of institutional and community partners who contributed to the Whiting redevelopment planning process. We would especially like to thank the officials and staff of the City of Whiting who provided their time including Mayor Joseph Stahura; Bob Kark, Director of Community Development; and Rudy Wunder, President of the Redevelopment Commission. The Center appreciates the evening that 20 members of the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force spent with the project team sharing their vision for the community.

We would also like to thank Curt Winkle, Roberta Feldman, Sue McNeil, Tasneem Chowdhury, Elizabeth Kocs, Michael Brown and Amanda Hoagland for their assistance with the project. David O’Donnell and Thomas Frank both provided assistance with the facilitation of the community meeting and deserve thanks.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

PROJECT SUMMARY The City of Whiting was established in 1889 as a railroad stop and company town for Standard Oil’s refinery on Lake Michigan. This community of 5,200 people is located 20 miles from Chicago’s downtown in Lake County, Indiana. Whiting is a charming, pedestrian friendly community with ample recreational facilities and a vital main street district on historic 119th Street. With industry and other cities surrounding it, Whiting has not had significant new development in many decades. The restructuring of local industrial operations has left 60 acres of vacant land along the eastern edge of the downtown, providing a rare opportunity for new development.

There is great potential for this redevelopment effort in Whiting. The City’s lakeside location, ample transportation access, tremendous labor force, good real estate market, extremely well-preserved main street and the community’s capacity to support business development all promise success. However, there are several challenges that face the City as it plans for the redevelopment of its former industrial property. Environmental The City of Whiting and its surrounding context

concerns limit the range of feasible uses and construction techniques.

Municipalities in Lake County, Indiana also face budgetary restrictions as a result of a 2000 Indiana Supreme Court order that created a greater property tax burden for area homeowners. Uncertainty about property tax rates has stymied development interest over the past three years. New development must also respect existing assets, like the community’s Main Street and public access to Lake Michigan, rather than compete with them.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan effort began in Decem-

The plan recommendations are based on the community’s vision, stake-

ber of 2004 with conversations between Whiting’s City Hall and the

holders’ needs, economic considerations and principles of sound plan-

UIC City Design Center (CDC). This plan reflects the joint effort of the

ning. To meet these criteria, the CDC team evaluated a wide range

three graduate research assistants on the CDC team, who wrote the

of possible development scenarios. The final recommendations balance

plan as a requirement toward the completion of their Masters Degree

a number of disparate interests to provide an optimum framework for

in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

redevelopment. New homes, park space and shopping are recommended

Three UIC planning professors provided oversight and supervision of

near Lake Michigan. Industry is allotted some space in the redevelopment

the plan.

to provide new jobs and expand the tax base, but this use is buffered from the community by other features.

During the first three months of 2005 the CDC project team conducted extensive research into existing conditions in Whiting. The project

This plan represents an eight month partnership between the City of

team conducted baseline analysis to assess the existing conditions of

Whiting and the City Design Center. We believe that this plan presents

the land and real estate market and current local economic develop-

a clear, innovative and achievable vision to guide the City, the Whiting

ment initiatives. The CDC project team then convened a meeting of

Redevelopment Commission and others as Whiting moves forward into

community residents to suggest redevelopment visions. The project

the future.

team formulated plan recommendations to balance municipal and community expectations.

Prof. Brent D. Ryan Prof. Rachel N. Weber Prof. Martin S. Jaffe

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

PROJECT TIMELINE

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

PROJECT METHODOLOGY The City Design Center team used a multi-disciplinary, field-based

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State-level economic development agencies

approach to analyze redevelopment options for the reuse of Whit-

These interviews provided information about the resources and

ing’s former industrial property. Data from a wide variety of sources

efforts available to aid redevelopment in Whiting (see page 30).

was gathered and applied to the particular needs and assets of the redevelopment sites. These included:

The ideas and opinions of local community residents also formed an

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Historical research

important part of the redevelopment plan. On May 12th, the CDC team

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Area demographic and labor market data

facilitated a special meeting of the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force. About 20

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Retail market analysis using commercial databases

community residents attended to share their vision for redevelopment and

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Real estate listings and site surveys

identify sites and uses that should have priority (see page 25). This vision

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Tax assessment records

and input was incorporated into a set of principles to guide the project team’s land use recommendations (see page 42).

The goal of this research was to identify market constraints on redevelopment and estimate the possible impact of new growth.

Using the criteria and the project team’s knowledge of the issues surround-

This research is described begining on page 9.

ing development in Northwest Indiana, four discrete land use scenarios were developed. These land use scenarios and the recommended land

To collect a variety of perspectives and learn about the numerous

use plan are presented beginning on page 49 along with their relative

efforts to enhance the vitality of Northwest Indiana, the CDC team

advantages and disadvantages.

consulted a variety of local and regional economic development

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agencies and real estate experts including:

Using the findings of this analysis, the project team synthesized a land use

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Regional planning agencies

plan that balanced the various evaluation criteria, costs and benefits. This

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Utility companies

land use plan forms the foundation of the team’s recommendations (see

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Real estate agencies

page 52). Finally, a series of implementation steps and a vision for the

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City consultants working on similar planning efforts

character of the redevelopment were drafted to bring the recommendations

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The Chamber of Commerce

to fruition and provide a framework for redevelopment (see page 54).

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Neighboring communities

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS Introduction This chapter examines the present conditions of the development sites.

The conditions are described under four areas the CDC team saw as essential for any successful redevelopment project: 1) Land, 2) Labor, 3) Capital and 4) Community. These categories are essential for the following reasons. Land must be available and developable. There must be an adequate labor pool available for the development of the site, the operation of the business that locates there, and the occupancy of any new homes. There must also be sufficient real estate demand to justify the capital for new development. Finally, the community must have the desire and resources to transform vacant property into vital economic activity. In each of these areas, there are some short-term challenges that must be overcome. Once they are overcome, the advantages of the sites, the city and the region will provide momentum for development success.

Land The project team examined several sites, totaling approximately 60 acres, along the eastern edge of Whiting’s residential neighborhoods. These sites have existing market advantages including proximity to Lake Michigan and rail and highway transportation access. However, a legacy of heavy industrial use, some unusually shaped parcels and the lack Figure 1.1 Map of redevelopment study areas

of buffers between industrial and residential land uses present some development obstacles. Nearly all of these sites lie within the redevelopment tax increment financing district, which was established in 2000 (see Figure 1.1)

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Globe and adjacent properties (sites a-e) These sites, approximately 9.2 acres in all, are located on the southern portion of the redevelopment area. The sites benefit from some locational advantages that would support new commercial development there. They are highly accessible and visible from Indianapolis Boulevard, which accommodates approximately 27,000 cars per day.

The sites are close to the two entrances to the BP oil refinery, which employs 1,200 people. Additionally, they are less than a ten-minute drive from every Whiting neighborhood and some areas of Hammond and East Chicago, which together contain over 20,000 people.

The largest of these sites (a in Figure 1.1) is the former manufacturing facility of the Globe Building Materials Company. In January 2001, this manufacturer of asphalt and laminated roofing shingles filed for bankruptcy. This left vacant a 5.7-acre industrial site with a 37,000 square foot light industrial building that is in poor condition and will likely need to be demolished. At 140 feet deep and 2,000 feet long, the site is very long and thin, which could pose a challenge to site designs for new development. However, an adjacent railroad right-ofway may no longer be needed and could be incorporated into the property, which would widen the entire site to 240 feet and allow a greater variety of site designs.

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Figure 1.2 Photos of Globe sites. Looking south down Schrage Avenue (top) and looking north from Indianapolis on Schrage Avenue (bottom)

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Given the historic use and location of the Globe site, there may be

The sites to the south of the Globe property (d and e in Figure 1.1)

environmental issues that need to be addressed. Globe Building

will be impacted most by new development in this area and should

Materials had been manufacturing roofing products in Whiting

be considered in the overall development plan. The Bizik self-storage

since 1934, and parts of the building date back to the 1910s.

and glass block distribution center (d) is at the corner of Schrage

Additionally, the site lies next to the BP refinery that has operated

Avenue and Indianapolis Boulevard. This site is approximately 1.3

there for over 115 years. While environmental damage to the site

acres and lies directly between the Globe site and Indianapolis Bou-

has not yet been characterized, such historic exposure to heavy

levard. Across Schrage Avenue from Bizik’s Storage are several

industry makes it unlikely that the property is clean. Additionally,

homes and Dotty’s Tavern (e) occupying 0.6 acres. These homes

the site lies directly between the refinery and residential areas so it

are isolated from other residences by commercial uses on all sides

is important that new development here provides a buffer.

and would be further isolated by non-residential development on the Justak property.

Two additional vacant sites (b and c in Figure 1.1) are adjacent to the Globe property. The site of the former Justak trucking company (b) lies across Schrage Avenue from the Globe site. The Justak site is approximately 0.9 acres and consists of a gravel lot and Quonset warehouse. Another vacant parcel at the corner of Steiber Street and Schrage Avenue was part of the IHB Railroad right-of-way. This site is approximately 0.7 acres and surrounded on three sides by residences. Both sites have avoided the type of heavy industry that would likely require expensive soil remediation.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

EXISTING CONDITIONS

BP and Adjoining Sites (sites f-j) The largest redevelopment opportunity examined by the CDC project team is the “BP Site” (sites f-j in figure 1.1), which contains sites owned by BP Oil Company, the City and a local lumber company, totaling approximately 36.9 acres. The sites lie between 121st Street and Lake Michigan, stretching from Front Street to the BP water filtration facility. Given its location and multi-modal transportation access, this site has a number of distinct assets. In addition to access to 121st Street, this set of parcels has access to other freight transportation routes: several of the country’s busiest freight rail lines run along the site and Standard Avenue provides back-road truck access to Highway 912, a limited access freeway connecting local industrial areas to Interstate I-90. The City is currently planning improvements to 121st Street and Standard Avenue. The sites are immediately adjacent to the BP refinery and less than two miles from Mittal Steel.

Businesses locating on these sites would have access to some of the Midwest region’s largest markets since it is less than 20 miles from downtown Chicago and the rapidly growing Lake County southsuburban area. There are, however some development limitations due to the sites’ industrial history and close proximity to the BP refinery.

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Figure 1.3 Photos of municipal fleet yard (top), Main BP site (bottom)

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS

The Can Building site (f) is approximately 3.4 acres and contains a

To the north of the Main BP site are two sites that should be included

large masonry industrial building. The Can Building site was used

in the redevelopment effort. The first (i), currently used as a municipal

by BP to pack petroleum products and may require remediation.

parking and storage area, occupies 5.2 acres of space and contains a

The City has identified this site as an expansion area for Standard

structure of approximately 15,000 square feet. This space is required

Diamonds Park to provide a full-size baseball field. This planned park

to park school buses, garbage trucks and other vehicles in the city’s

expansion will also provide a land-use buffer between the housing on

fleet. The yard is also used to store recreational equipment in the

Schrage Avenue and the refinery.

off-season and other materials for city maintenance and construction.

This municipal use could be relocated to provide space for tax-

The Barrel House site (g) is currently a vacant, gravel-covered lot

generating uses. The second parcel that should be included in the

about 7.5 acres in size. The BP refinery used this site for producing

redevelopment area is a storage yard operated by Service Lumber

and filling barrels of oil.

Company (j). This 4.4-acre, predominantly open-air storage yard lies along the railroad tracks next to the municipal storage area.

The Main BP site (h) is a large set of parcels that currently rests astride Standard Avenue. This area is approximately 16.5 acres in size and

While the industrial history of these sites adds some complexity to the

has been a part of refinery property for over a century. There are

redevelopment plan, it is not insurmountable given the interest of the

known environmental concerns that limit the types of construction

City in redevelopment, the assistance of the BP refinery and the other

that should occur in this area. While this would ordinarily be a

advantages of the area.

nearly insurmountable development challenge, local environmental experts expect that most slab-on-grade construction will be permitted.

Engineered barriers, such as paved parking areas and clay with cleanfill resurfacing could augment current monitoring efforts enough to allow many types of light-industrial development.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

EXISTING CONDITIONS BP Basin (k) The approximately 7.2 acre beach between Whiting Park and the BP water filtration plant (site k in Figure 1.1) was recommended for recreational redevelopment by the 2005 Marquette Plan. This site is less than 200 feet deep and separated from the rest of the community by five railroad lines. It currently has a section of paved driveway near the tracks and intermittent piles of concrete riprap along the beach.

Park-side Rail Road Right of Way (l) The vacated Conrail Railroad right-of-way next to the Standard Diamonds Park (site l in Figure 1.1) provides a 2.6-acre development opportunity. This site is only two blocks from Lake Michigan, adjacent to

Figure 1.4 Photo of lakefront BP Basin area

the City’s quaint Main Street District, and has ample recreational access.

Because this site was formerly a railroad track, the type of environmental problems found here could likely be cost-effectively remediated to allow residential or retail uses. However, Standard Avenue, the primary access to this site, is narrow and runs one-way. Additional development is likely to require additional transportation capacity.

For all of the sites within the redevelopment area, careful consideration of the interaction of potential new land uses with other parts of the community is required. Each site presents individual challenges, but the opportunity and advantages of the sites far overshadow these obstacles.

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Figure 1.5 Photo of Conrail Railroad right-of-way

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS Labor The second component of redevelopment that the CDC project team examined was the labor market available to support new development in Whiting. While structural changes in the Northwest Indiana economy have reduced employment levels among the big steel producers and other major industries since the 1970s, the overall labor market remains strong and could provide staff adequate for a broad array of new businesses in the community. In other words, the challenges in the labor market are in terms of demand, not in supply. New commercial development, the aim of this plan, will benefit from this labor supply while helping to provide greater demand for workers.

In Whiting diminished labor demand can be seen in two chief examples, BP-Amoco and Globe Roofing. The BP Whiting refinery now only employs about 1,200 people, but had employed over 8,000 workers in the 1950s. Modernization of the plant, beginning just after a 1955 refinery fire, led to greater worker productivity and decreasing demand for workers. In response to a need for modern office and laboratory space and the refinery moved its offices from the WhitingFigure 1.6 Employment growth projections for Chicago metropolitan area based on data provided by NIPC and NIRPC.

Robertsdale community to Chicago in the early 1970s.

Globe Roofing employed between 120 and 450 production workers at its Whiting facility, depending on the season. Following the volatility of the manufacturing economy during the late 1990s, the roofing manufacturer, overburdened with debt, declared bankruptcy in 2001

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EXISTING CONDITIONS and laid off all of its remaining employees. Cases like these are plenti-

In the future, firms that choose to locate in the Whiting area will benefit

ful in Northwest Indiana. Deindustrialization and economic changes

from a large, diverse workforce that can staff a wide array of positions

have caused dramatic decreases in industrial labor demand and have

and industries. The City Design Center research team constructed an

left large industrial sites fallow.

“employment-shed” which indicates the area from which workers could be

Even with the economic expansion of the 1990s, and rising prices

drawn to fill positions at a new firm in Whiting.

for staples of the local economy, like oil and steel, little growth in labor demand is anticipated for the urban core of Lake County.

Employment forecasts from the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) and the Northeast Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) were compiled into a map of projected job growth in the region (Figure 1.6). The forecasts include assumptions about expected developments under current policy and trends and do not predict substantial job growth for Whiting and the surrounding communities. While there is little reason to expect employment growth in Whiting, these regional projections do not take into account several important factors. Increasing oil prices will continue to make urban locations, especially those with multiple transport modes, attractive to distribution and warehousing firms that will need closer proximity to their customers. Recent policy changes encouraging the redevelopment of brownfield property have provided a feasible alternative to traditional greenfield development for commercial or industrial structures. Lastly, the concerted efforts of regional planning agencies to

Figure 1.7 Range of occupations held by workers near Whiting

capitalize on growing industries like logistics has invigorated Lake County employment prospects.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS According to the US Census, the average commuting time for work-

Capital

ers in the Chicago-metropolitan region was just over 30 minutes.

While the land and existing labor markets are more than sufficient

The project team identified all of the zip codes within a 30 minute

to support redevelopment, there must be sufficient demand for new

drive from Whiting’s City Hall to identify the boundaries of the

real estate development. Public and private developers will need

employment-shed. Census data for all of these ZIP codes were

to demonstrate this demand before private capital will be provided.

compiled and analyzed. According to these 2000 US Census data,

Overall, the real estate market in Whiting for the four major areas of

new employers in Whiting would have access to a workforce with

real estate (residential, retail, office and industrial) can be character-

the following traits:

ized as modestly softer than - but competitive with - the region as

•

627,000 total workers within a 30 minute commute

•

Approximately 457,000 workers who have completed high school or higher levels of education

•

•

attributed to uncertainty about the future of the property tax rate in Northwest Indiana. Long term softness in the local real estate market is related to deindustrialization and increasing suburbanization

Approximately 98,000 workers with a bachelor’s degree or

in Lake County, Indiana. As with labor market demand, the soft

higher levels of education

real estate market does not present an insurmountable challenge

Almost 95,000 high school students for summer or part-time jobs

•

a whole. In the short run, some weakness in the market can be

Over 86,000 college students for recruitment or summer work

Given the large number of potential employees in the area and the wide range of occupations and industries in which they work, the work force could amply support a diversity of industries and firms in Northwest Indiana. New employers must be attracted to the area to take advantage of this labor supply.

to redevelopment, but rather an opportunity for business to take advantage of a competitive market with good values. This advantage can be strengthened with concerted local effort.

The CDC project team collected real estate market data through: (1) interviews with local realtors, real estate appraisers, developers and economic development officials; (2) recent real estate listings from the Northwest Indiana Times, www.loopnet.com (an on-line commercial property database), and gniarmls.com (a Northwest Indiana multiple listing service); (3) Chicago metro-area real estate analysis and projections, such as those provided by Grubb and Ellis

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EXISTING CONDITIONS (www.grubb-ellis.com); and (4) a CDC survey of local industrial property to provide sub-market real estate data.

Residential The market for homes in Whiting is facing momentary weakness, but shows promise, especially in new single-family construction near the City’s lake-front parks. The 2002 property tax reassessment (mandated by the Indiana Supreme Court) shifted the tax burden from industrial to residential uses. Larger residential tax bills and uncertainty about the tax rate in the future led to a dramatic increase in the number of homes

Figure 1.8 Concept for the Lakefront Commons Development in Whiting (from www.whitingindiana.com)

on the market. By the spring of 2005 nearly 80 homes were listed on the market in Whiting, where homes sold mainly by word-of-mouth prior to 2000. Uncertainty about the tax rate has also slowed home sales in the community’s new Lakefront Commons in the northern part of the former Conrail right-of-way, according to the developer of the property.

Even so, there is some added value from newly constructed lakeside homes. The typical sales price for single family detached homes in Whiting overall is $92,000, according to recent listings. The sales price for homes in the new development is $235,000. Once uncertainty about the tax rates is resolved, additional new development could help diversify and stabilize the tax base while improving property values for existing homes.

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Figure 1.9 Traditional housing in whiting

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS Retail New retail growth presents a viable form of development for Whiting.

The local demand for consumer items alone is more than adequate

However, if new retailers are not selected carefully they could poten-

to support substantial amounts of new retail development. Whiting

tially compete with the community’s prized 119th Street District. While

and the Robertsdale community of Hammond are separated from

the retail district on 119th Street is oriented towards neighborhood

other communities and shopping destinations by large stretches of

residents and those seeking a traditional Main Street environment, the

industrial property and Wolf Lake. This geography requires Whiting-

community’s other commercial corridor is quite different. Indianapolis

Robertsdale residents to drive ten miles or more for many of their

Boulevard carries more than 27,000 vehicles through the community

shopping needs. These residents would be likely to support new

each day. However, there is little space on Indianapolis Boulevard

retail within the community rather than travel outside for it.

to provide new auto-oriented shopping opportunities. These different forms of retail are codified in the City’s zoning ordinance as Downtown Business and Boulevard Business zones.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Dun and Bradstreet database of local retail sales, the amount of unmet local demand can be estimated for the zip code containing Whiting and Robertsdale (Table 1.1). This analysis indicates that approximately 56% of the community’s total consumer expenditure is spent outside the community. There are two important sets of potential customers who could support new retail development in Whiting: local shoppers seeking greater convenience and the customers brought to the community by Indianapolis Boulevard.

Should sufficient land be made available along Indianapolis Boulevard for new retail development, little difficulty in finding private financing would be expected. However, unmanaged development that courts retailers who directly compete with the 119th Street District

Table 1.1 Retail spending and demand in Whiting-Robertsdale

could unbalance the market and erode this prized asset.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS Office The market for office space in the region has been called “untested” by one area commercial realtor. Despite the presence of major interests to anchor new office development, no substantial new office development has occurred in more than 50 years. A lack of new development, vacancy among existing Class C complexes, and few area comparables together make the office market difficult to predict, and therefore difficult to finance. While speculative office development is unlikely to occur in Whiting, office development driven by a major tenant is possible.

Presently, the Whiting office business environment is almost entirely comprised of small consumer or professional service firms located in small spaces within the retail districts. Banks occupy the largest share of commercial office space, followed by insurance agents and physicians. The market for this type of commercial real estate is largely undifferentiated from the market for retail space. Additionally, many of the industrial firms in Whiting have on-site offices to support their operations, but the market for this type of office is best considered as a subset of the local industrial real estate market.

20

laboratory space and contains more than 120,000 square feet. After many years of vacancy, these offices are now partially occupied by Calumet College of St. Joseph, but a 41,900 square foot office building in the complex remains vacant. Globe Roofing Company held its offices nearby, and after 5 years of vacancy this building has recently been sold to a developer.

While these office vacancies do not bode well for the office market, it should be noted that these facilities lack the modern telecommunications infrastructure demanded by new office tenants. New office developments are likely to be better equipped to attract tenants.

Recent office redevelopments in downtown Hammond and existing office space in downtown Gary provide the only comparables for office development in Whiting. Speculative office building renovations tied to a municipal redevelopment in Hammond have resulted in subsidized rents and persistent vacancies, according to local realtors. Rental rates around $7.00 per square foot (per year net), are too low to justify the financing of new office developments. Office buildings in Gary vary considerably in condition and lease rates but vacancy and low rents there encourage little optimism about the market in Whiting. However, these comparables are somewhat different than what would likely be developed in Whiting. The older, three

The area’s two large office complexes are located directly across

or more story office buildings in Hammond and Gary are expensive to

Whiting’s border in Hammond’s Robertsdale neighborhood. One

renovate or build. A less costly one or two story office structure might be

office complex was built in 1947 for Amoco Oil administration and

supported in Whiting, especially if it is built for a particular anchor tenant.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS Industry Industrial development would provide the greatest impact in terms of

the region, the southwest suburban region is expected to be the

property tax revenue for Whiting. In addition to strengthening the tax

major beneficiary. It is unclear from such reports how this market is

base, new industry in Whiting could cope with legacy environmental

expected to affect the urban areas of Northwest Indiana.

issues, provide new jobs, and draw more commuters into the community. Industry in Northwest Indiana has generally been thought of as relating only to steel or oil and the shrinking personnel and facility requirements of these industries has contributed to an undeserved perception of the area as having a surplus of useable industrial property. Quite to the contrary Northwest Indiana, and Whiting in particular, shows tremendous promise for industrial development.

According to a 2004 report by Grubb and Ellis (http://grubb-ellis.com/ pritems/forecast2005/2005_forecast.htm), the industrial real estate market in the Chicago region is growing and absorbing vacant facilities. The strength of the regional industrial property market is likewise supported by other real estate firms like CB Richard Ellis. With an overall vacancy rate of 9.4% at the end of 2004, and rents growing to a regional average of $4.75 per square foot (net), growing demand and construction are expected to continue. Warehousing and distribution operations comprise the fastest growing sectors of the regional industrial real estate market with over 8 million square feet of new space built in 2004. While growth is projected for most parts of

In order to assess the applicability of this regional analysis to the local sub-market, the City Design Center research team designed and executed a small sample survey of industrial facilities in Hammond. Hammond was chosen for its proximity to Whiting and the comparability of its industrial properties in terms of size, age and environmental concerns. Whiting itself did not provide an adequate sample because of its small size, lack of recent development and industrial diversity. Since the object of the study was to determine what types of new development could be supported, Hammond presents a broader picture of the industrial landscape. The research team started with a random selection of five site descriptions from a catalog of industrial properties provided by the Hammond Department of Business Development. The research team visited each site and characterized the selected site and up to 4 of the closest industrial properties in terms of vacancy, use, size and occupant. Augmenting this information with data about building size and age from the Lake County assessor, the research team was able to compare the local industrial market to the Grubb and Ellis industrial outlook report.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS

The overall industrial facility vacancy rate for Hammond was found to

types of industrial properties that the CDC team examined in that they

be 11.0% by vacant floor space. With a sample size of 19 facilities,

generate little property tax revenue and produce minimal employment.

the difference between the vacancy rate in Hammond and the region

With the growth of boat ownership and the development of several new

as a whole is not statistically significant. In general, during the survey

marinas in the southern Lake Michigan region, boaters are traveling more

the research team found the industrial areas of Hammond active

than 30 miles to find storage for their boats. Most boat yards in the area are

and vital. The five vacancies that were found spanned a range of

currently operating at or near capacity. Successful boat storage facilities

industrial space categories from R&D to warehousing to simple “flex”

generally incorporate boat repair and detailing services into their business

space. The vacancies were not clustered in any particular sector

plan and many are located on the water or relatively close to marinas.

or building size. It is possible that Whiting is in a good position to

Few boat yards in the region are built to accommodate more than 600

benefit from the relative strength of the regional industrial real estate

boats, which would require no more than 6 acres. Most boat yards

market. Because the general perception remains that the market for

incorporate a combination of indoor storage with at least as many (if not

Northwest Indiana industrial space is best only for a small number of

more) outdoor storage spaces. They generally consist of paved areas or

industries, there may be effort required to encourage greater diversity

slab-on-grade warehouse construction, making them a logical choice for

and market confidence in Whiting.

brownfield property.

The CDC project team also investigated a particular subset of industrial development--boat storage facilities. With close proximity to Whiting Park’s boat launch and the Hammond and East Chicago marinas, boat storage was seen to be a promising land use. Like other industrial property, the real estate market for boat storage facilities was found to be strong. Boat Storage businesses differ from other

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

EXISTING CONDITIONS Community Community represents the final chapter in the CDC team’s four-part characterization of the factors that determine the appropriate land use mix for the redevelopment sites. Analysis of land, labor, and capital helps to quantify the economic feasibility of new development, but this technical approach can fail to identify various intangibles that can influence the success of redevelopment efforts. With competition from neighboring municipalities and the large availability of potential land for redevelopment, it is also essential to consider these intangibles that help set Whiting apart.

Social Qualities Whiting has an abundance of community assets that have helped to shape Figure 1.10 Annual Pierogi Festival

its identity as a small, close knit, and “quaint” town. There is a strong sense of local pride and heritage, evident in the way residents describe their town’s traditions and history. Although the City’s demographics have begun to change, second and third generation Whiting residents are commonplace. Festivals such as the Pierogi Fest and “Garage Mahal” (a citywide garage sale) are a vibrant display of community. During numerous trips to Whiting, the CDC team was often approached by local residents who provided helpful suggestions on local eateries and attractions to visit.

These interactions proved invaluable in understanding the community identity in Whiting.

Figure 1.11 Historic Homes on Oliver Street

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EXISTING CONDITIONS Physical Qualities Whiting’s downtown neighborhoods display beautiful old homes, a

that include a large outdoor pavilion, baseball fields, picnic areas, and

walkable environment, and traditional neighborhood design elements

beaches. Inland, Whiting has made a concerted effort to provide recre-

that are reminiscent of Chicago historic districts. Red brick pavement

ational activities for people of all ages and interests. The recently com-

lines some city streets, and many blocks boast Victorian style homes

pleted skateboard park off 119th Street is renowned in the Chicagoland

with wraparound porches. While main streets in nearby municipalities

area as a top-notch facility for skateboarding. The park was co-designed

have succumbed to disinvestment, Whiting’s 119th Street District has

by a number of local youth in the community. An expansion of the

maintained its physical integrity over the years. Multistory buildings

Standard Diamonds baseball field is also planned.

abut the street with a nearly continuous stretch of ground floor retail.

The street’s human scale, streetscape decorations, and business mix have helped to create a pedestrian friendly, vibrant district. Following the street’s historic designation in this district, the Historic Preservation Commission is currently establishing regulatory programs to pro-

Business Support The City of Whiting has a number of initiatives that directly benefit and support businesses. The work of the Redevelopment Commission, one example of this municipal support, has been critical to the creation of

tect this vital community asset.

funding mechanisms to support business development. In addition to

Parks and Recreation

identifying opportunities that will create new jobs and diversify the local

Whiting has a sizable network of parks and recreational opportunities

tax base. This is particularly evident in its current planning efforts. The

available to community residents and visitors. While much of the

Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, focused on providing artistic

available lakefront property has been occupied by heavy industry in

and business services to the community, is another example of the many

Northwest Indiana, Whiting has been successful in preserving much

efforts under way to strengthen the community’s image and its ability to

of its lakefront for public access. The recent Marquette Plan (2005)

attract new development.

the Redevelopment Commission, the City administration is committed to

is creating additional impetus for communities to increase their public green space, with a particular emphasis on access to Lake Michigan.

The Whihala and Whiting Parks are well-designed recreational spaces

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

VISION

The CDC team’s planning methodology included a community participation process to understand the community’s vision for new development. The size of the redevelopment area and its potential impact on the existing community made public participation all the more important. This consisted of a community focus group meeting and interviews with numerous stakeholders.

Community Focus Group Meeting The Community Focus Group Meeting, convened as a special session of the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force, was held on May 12, 2005 at the Whiting Community Center. The meeting was attended by 20 participants, most of whom were members of the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force. The meeting had two objectives: (1) the identification of community assets for preservation, and (2) the creation of a land use and character vision for the redevelopment sites. The Community Focus Group Meeting discussed many of the redevelopment sites in Whiting including those shown in Figure 1.1 (page 9). Two other Figure 2.1 Lake front development sites

lakefront development sites were discussed at the meeting: (1) the area around the city’s water detention basin (site a in Figure 2.1), and (2) a vacant lakeside site near the new football field (site b in Figure 2.1). While these two lakefront sites were not included in the present project’s scope, they were covered in the meeting to initiate a broader examination of redevelopment in Whiting.

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VISION The occasionally divisive issues surrounding redevelopment of industrial

Question: “What We Love about Whiting?”

Votes

areas made it important that the meeting be designed first and foremost

Walkability: Pedestrian Friendly

6

to draw out the positive potential of redevelopment for the community.

Proximity to Lake Michigan

5

Proximity to Downtown Chicago

5

Whiting Park

5

Heritage—tradition and community institutions

4

assets, land use priorities, business and recreational types, and the

Old-Fashioned Neighborhoods

4

character of new development. Group discussion was diverse and

Festivals

3

Size of Whiting is Conducive to neighborliness

2

Quaintness and Charm of the Buildings

1

Downtown, Community

1

Strong Chamber of Commerce

1

Historical Buildings

0

feedback on the positive aspects of Whiting and suggesting what assets

Good Cost of Living

0

would be most important to preserve for future generations. Following

Lack of traffic problems

0

a snack break, participants divided into three smaller groups to discuss

Question: “What Ought to Be Preserved in Whiting?”

Votes

Public Access to the Lakefront

10

Preserve downtown merchants

8

The activities & festivals that bring people together

5

Historical Buildings

4

Perception of safety

3

The first task of the meeting was to discuss Whiting’s assets and

Walk-ability: Pedestrian Friendly

3

preservation priorities with the attendees. After nominating possible

Whiting Park

2

Sense of Community

2

Proximity to Lake Michigan

N/A

Proximity to Downtown Chicago

N/A

Using a highly structured process that included several participatory exercises, participants were able to envision and vote on community

detailed, establishing a solid foundation of preliminary land use and character visions for the redevelopment areas.

The meeting began with all attendees in a large group format providing

the redevelopment sites. Facilitators led group discussions on the land use and character type of new development for each site.

Large group: Community-Determined Assets and Guiding Principles

assets and preservation priorities, participants voted on their top three favorites. Residents identified Whiting’s existing parks, proximity to Lake Michigan, the 119th Street District, and the overall character of the

Table 2.1 Voting for community assets

community as major assets and preservation priorities. The full results are summarized in Table 2.1.

26

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

VISION Vision 3)

Small Group Sessions: Land Use The City Design Center team created large maps that were used to identify the participants’ land use vision for each site. Participants then placed stickers, corresponding to specific land use categories, on the maps to allocate uses to the available redevelopment sites.

Participants were allotted 15 stickers in colors representing different land uses and could use any combination of stickers on any site.

For example, one person could conceivably use all 15 stickers for

The Globe property, seen primarily as commercial or light industrial (polluting and intrusive uses excluded)

Table 2.2 shows the initial voting results of the small group’s chosen land use recommendations for each site, which do not, in all cases, indicate complete consensus. During group discussions, some participants changed their preferences on land uses, which are not indicated in these voting results.

residential uses by placing them on a combination of sites or on one large site. Since participants could express the importance of the sites

Redevelopment Sites

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

by the number of stickers they used and where they were placed, this

Lakefront development (a)

R

R/O

R/O

Lakefront development (b)

R

R/O

R/O

IHB Railroad

R/O

R

MU

Globe Roofing

C

MU

R/I

Justak Trucking

R

O

MU

Lakefront (BP) Basin

R/O

O

O

Service Lumber

I/C

O/C

I/C

Municipal Parking

I

O

I

Norfolk Southern RR

R/O

R

O

Main BP

I

O

I

BP Basin, identified as a park with beach access to Lake Michi-

Barrel House

C

R

I

gan

Can Building

O

R

I

Lakefront development area (adjacent to the city’s detention

R = Residential, O = Open space, C = Commercial, I = Industrial, MU = Mixed use. Light grey shading indicates priority sites.

method provided a streamlined way to vote on the priority and desired new uses of each site.

Generally speaking, participants shared views on land uses for the redevelopment sites. Despite the large area of the BP land, this site was consistently identified as a low priority, the lone exception being the BP Basin. In order of priority, the top three sites and their suggested land uses were: 1) 2)

basin), seen primarily as residential with a strong recreational component

Table 2.2 Small groups’ preliminary land use recommendations

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

VISION BP Basin (Site k, Figure 1.1) Buffers and Character

Land Uses

Once the priority sites and land uses were determined, conversation

•

followed on the specific use mix and character of new development.

BP Basin was overwhelmingly identified as a recreational / park site to attract both residents and visitors.

Although there was not always agreement on the specifics of develop-

Character and Design

ment and character for each use, three major areas of consensus

•

were identified at the community meeting.

1) 2)

Walking and bike trails, a bird watching area, and swimming were identified as examples. One participant indicated this land would

Participants desired consistent buffering on all redevelopment sites that had views of the refinery.

Participants felt that light industrial and heavy commer-

provide “a natural extension of Whiting Park activities.”

•

A need for sufficient buffers (trees and berms) from the refinery and water filtration plant was repeatedly mentioned.

cial development should be well landscaped, visually 3)

A connection to Whiting and Whihala beaches was suggested.

appealing, and should fit the neighborhood context.

Lakefront Development Sites (Figure 2.1)

Residents overwhelmingly rejected uses with polluting,

Land Uses

intrusive and aesthetically unappealing aspects.

•

Land Use / Character Preferences A full compilation of the Community Focus Group Meeting results follows. Each land use, specific use mix and character type of

was discussed.

Character and Design •

Participants suggested a substantial amount of publicly accessible open/green space integrated with Whiting’s existing park system,

development is detailed. These notes are a combination of the major

particularly north of the railroad tracks (e.g. bike and walking trails,

themes from each small group discussion. The sites are listed in the

a plaza park with areas for outdoor seating, amenities for families

order of priority, determined by the participants voting results. Please refer to Figure 1.1 for the locations of the sites.

Residential development catering to an upper income demographic

such as tennis courts or a play area for children).

•

The sites should be developed in context with the existing neighborhood character.

•

28

A preference for denser urban housing types, such as multi-unit

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

VISION

condo buildings and attached row houses, was mentioned, but

Service Lumber, Municipal Parking, Conrail Railroad, Can Building,

full consensus in this area was not reached.

Barrel House, and the Main BP Site (Sites f-j, Figure 1.1)

Globe Roofing and Justak Trucking Sites (Site a and b, Figure 1.1) Land Uses •

Land Uses •

but full land use consensus was not reached. Scattered

Commercial and light industrial uses were identified as pos-

commercial, retail, recreational and residential opportunities

sibilities but full consensus was not reached.

•

Office and light industrial complexes supporting local Whiting businesses were discussed as possibilities. Noxious uses were discouraged.

•

Single-family residential uses on the Justak Trucking site

were also identified.

• •

trict and areas for tourist attractions, capitalizing on access to the nearby lakefront. A water park was suggested in two

Participants pointed out a need for aesthetically pleasing design that would be in context with the surrounding community. They also wished to use development on these sites to visually buffer

of the three groups.

•

the existing baseball field and park. Additionally, the

The site should include landscaping, streetscaping, and addi-

Conrail Railroad site was mentioned as an opportunity for

tional design elements to soften the effects of a large com mercial or light industrial complex.

residential uses.

Character and Design

IHB Site (Site c, Figure 1.1)

•

Land Uses Participants identified single-family residential and open space as a priority.

The Conrail Railroad, Barrel House, and the BP Can Building sites were identified as expansion opportunities for

the refinery from neighboring homes.

•

The Service Lumber and Municipal Parking sites were identified as possible extensions of the 119th Street Business Dis-

Character and Design

•

Participants identified a desire for non-polluting, low intensity industrial uses designed in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

emerged as a possibility.

•

Participants identified these sites as industrial opportunities

Participants felt major buffers were needed on these sites to block the view of the BP refinery. Examples included trees, berms, and murals.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

VISION Stakeholder and Practitioner Interviews The Community Focus Group Meeting represented one part of the

•

Working with larger firms is key to filling smaller spaces near

public participation component of the CDC team’s planning process.

large industrial businesses, including suppliers or firms that use

The CDC team also held meetings with key stakeholders and individu-

industrial byproducts.

als who had an understanding of the potential for new development

•

in Whiting. The stakeholders interviewed included regional economic development organizations, staff from adjacent municipalities, local

NIPSCO can promote larger developments (those over 90,000 square feet) through their advertising resources.

•

NIPSCO indicated that the following industries might succeed in

realtors, community groups, and city administration boards. These

Whiting: environmental remediation, health care equipment manu-

informative meetings helped the CDC team to better understand the

facturers, industrial gas companies, and steel processing.

economic, physical, and political climate for new development in Whiting. This information, along with the CDC’s independent analysis and economic modeling, formed a critical foundation for the final

Northwest Indiana Forum: •

and interest of a major industrial company.

land use plan recommendations and implementation strategies. The following are the key findings for the stakeholder interviews.

Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC): •

Regional Economic Development Agencies Northern Indiana Public Service Company

• •

Transportation access, including the close vicinity of heavy

Partnering educational institutions with development strategies can be highly successful.

•

(NIPSCO, a regional utility company) •

Brownfield development in Indiana is difficult without the support

State assistance is available to match local support for new employers and development.

•

IEDC indicated four targeted industries for overall state support:

haul routes and rail spurs is a strong selling feature for the

information technologies, advanced manufacturing, transportation

Whiting redevelopment areas.

logistics, and life sciences.

In addition to local resources, NIPSCO collaborates with state

•

A range of assistance is available for economic development (e.g.

agencies for additional subsidies.

Industrial Development Grant Fund, EDGE payroll tax credit, and

Strong competition for Whiting development exists from

energy and recycling assistance).

greenfield sites zoned for heavy commercial uses.

30

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

VISION Indiana Workforce Development: •

A skills enhancement fund is available from the state to assist new or existing firms with employee training.

•

A technology fund is available for certified training of information technology employees.

Local Community Groups, Residents, and Business Owners

Tom Rueth: Northwest Indiana residential developer •

There is a strong residential market for lakefront development.

•

The property tax crisis has weakened the overall residential real estate market.

•

dential development off the lakefront.

Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce: •

Whiting provides strong support for festivals and commu-

Albert Minniti: Local Whiting-Robertsdale realtor

nity gatherings such as the Pierogi Festival and

•

The residential real estate market is highly volatile, given the property tax crisis.

“Garage Mahal”.

•

The market is untested for condominium and row house resi-

The current economic climate has encouraged together-

•

community selling point.

ness and organizing among the business owners to address shared concerns.

In addition to the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, CDC team members had conversations with community residents and business owners about redevelopment potential in Whiting. These conversations provided the CDC team with a wealth of information on the community’s assets and the perceived identity of Whiting.

The low cost of living and median home value is a major

Richard Weiss: Commercial real estate appraiser and realtor •

There is an untested market for office space.

•

The market is stronger for small, flexible light industrial space targeted to local businesses.

•

Large transportation and distribution companies are not likely to locate in Whiting due to the time necessary to access major

Development and Realty Experts

highways.

The CDC team interviewed realtors practicing commercial and resi-

•

Efforts to strengthen the residential base show promise.

dential development. These meetings provided information on a

•

The Whiting real estate market features low commercial

number of real estate variables needed to construct the economic model used by the CDC team to determine the feasibility of new development.

vacancy and a strong overall physical appearance.

•

The soon-to-be abolished inventory tax is a leading deterrent to new commercial development.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

VISION Short, Elliot and Hendrickson (SEH): an environmental and planning consulting firm that has extensive experience working with Whiting and BP on land use issues.

•

SEH clarified the position of BP regarding land use proposals on its property.

•

SEH shared past experience in land use planning efforts in Whiting.

•

SEH indicated what type of construction constraints exist due to brownfield considerations.

•

SEH provided feedback on the design of the Community Focus Group Meeting based on the firm’s experience with the Marquette planning process.

32

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT

At the request of Mayor Stahura, the CDC team performed a qualitative assessment of conditions along Whiting’s 119th Main Street District. The analysis presented in this section is rooted in observational studies of the district, interviews with stakeholders such as the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce and the Redevelopment Commission, and the CDC team’s professional expertise in retail district planning. Although 119th Street was not included in the initial CDC project scope, we provided this initial analysis because of the district’s significance to the community. Although a full participatory component and detailed retail market analysis were not performed for this assessment, they should be included in any future planning efforts.

The CDC team’s analysis identifies critical issues in the district and offers specific suggestions to help strengthen it. These recommendations and implementation steps fall into three categories: physical design, retail business mix and new development. In all three areas, the project team tried to identify specific strategies that are time-and Figure 3.1 A view of historic 119th Street

cost-efficient to help the City promote positive change on 119th Street.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT Introduction The 119th Street District is one of the strongest assets in Whiting, reinforcing the small town charm of the community. While main streets in other towns have succumbed to disinvestment, the 119th Street District has maintained its physical integrity over the years.

The continued preservation and strengthening of the District has consistently been identified as a major priority. During the Community Focus Group Meeting, held on May 12, 2005 the community voiced its desire to maintain this important asset by supporting its small local merchants, existing pedestrian accessibility, and the main street character of the district.

Figure 3.2 Historic buildings add to the prominence and historic identity of the street

District Boundaries The locations of retail activity, placement of land uses and street design in the district effectively set its boundaries at Indianapolis Boulevard to the west and Ohio Avenue to the east. Residential uses and retail vacancies on the eastern end prevent the district from continuing to Front Street. New residential and commercial development would provide an opportunity to extend the eastern boundary.

Assets The 119th Street District is the central axis of community, governmental and commercial activity in Whiting. It displays strong pedestrian accessibility, a well-maintained physical environment and a concen-

34

Figure 3.3 Appealing landscaping and site design

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT Institutional

tration of activity that supports local business. The combination of

•

streets’ historic appeal and provide stability to the district.

the area’s physical, institutional, and retail assets create a quaint but •

vibrant character. For example:

•

The Whiting Redevelopment Commission and WhitingRobertsdale Chamber of Commerce provide networking activ-

Physical •

The size and prominence of institutional buildings add to the

ities and business services to support area retailers.

The narrow street, 2-4 story buildings, residential neighbor hoods in close vicinity and retail entrances consistently

Retail

located at the street level provide a comfortable, human

•

An increasing number of retail establishments, such as baker

scale.

ies, coffee shops, restaurants, and taverns are enticing cus-

Many buildings act as visual focal points, displaying orna-

tomers to the street and solidifying its identity as a destination

mental features and distinctive architecture. Some exam-

district.

ples include city hall, the post office, the movie theater, and Centier Bank.

Opportunities The strongest assets of 119th Main Street District are located in the center, the area with the highest concentration of activity, while its weakest points are located at the ends. A concern throughout, but particularly evident on the ends of the district is the lack of consistent physical standards, including building design, façade and signage conditions.

•

To the east, a combination of residential uses and retail vacancies prevent the district from continuing to Front Street.

•

On the western end, decreasing building scales, the traffic and noise impacts from Indianapolis Boulevard, coupled with a higher concentration of auto-oriented uses, all diminish the

Figure 3.4 The west end of 119th Street has an auto-oriented identity

pedestrian environment and distinctive character of the district.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT Recommendations and Implementation: Regulatory Mechanisms Zoning, signage and design ordinances are an effective way of implementing development and identity standards. New regulatory mechanisms should focus on the following critical areas for the 119th Street District:

City’s design review process should assist with the implementation of these regulations.

Smart Codes have emerged as an effective regulatory tool to promote sustainable urban growth while protecting valuable landscapes and aesthetic elements. The Smart Code is a generalized example of form-based zoning, a new technique that goes beyond traditional zoning ordinances

1)

Preserve and enhance the existing pedestrian accessibility.

2)

Maintain a continuous street scale and street face by requiring

online at www.dpz.com. Using this technique would permit a higher level

all buildings to be multi-story and to front the street with no

of control over the “look” of a retail district. Such a code, in addition to

setbacks.

comprehensive design guidelines for the Main Street District, will provide

3)

Continue the tight network and lack of separation between buildings.

4)

the appropriate regulatory tools to promote high quality aesthetic design and character on 119th Street. If the City chooses to adopt a Smart Code or similar regulatory tool, the CDC team recommends using a qualified

Regulate building design, signage and streetscape to reflect the historic and prominent nature of the district.

5)

that concentrate on regulating uses within districts. The text can be found

consultant to assist with this process.

Zoning Regulations

Preserve the retail character of the district by requiring ground

Design, signage and parking codes are often combined with zoning regu-

floor retail in new buildings.

lations. Excessive parking standards, mandatory building setbacks, allowing frequent curb cuts to disrupt the sidewalk, discouraging multi-story

It is critically important to preserve the form and function of the 119th

buildings and an incompatible land use mix are common regulatory errors

Street District. The following three sections outline the objectives

that can derail the vitality and appearance of a main street district.

and guidelines that the CDC team feels should be pursued. The

36

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT •

Buildings should be built out to the sidewalk and occupy 100 percent of the lot’s street frontage.

•

The ground floor of all buildings should have a minimum window coverage of 60 percent to encourage window shopping.

•

No auto-oriented retail uses should be allowed in a Main Street District (e.g. mechanic shops, drive-through fast food chains).

•

First floor retail on all main street buildings should be required.

Ideally, buildings should be a minimum of two stories and maximum of four.

Figure 3.5 Building out to the sidewalk contributes to a pedestrian oriented scale

•

Retail uses should focus on businesses that draw a large number of customers (e.g. home boutiques, restaurants, drugstores).

•

Parking requirements should be relaxed for new developments. Ideally, parking lots should be located behind the establishments or on side streets. Parallel or diagonal parking on 119th Street is preferred over adding additional lots. With few exceptions, parking lots should not front 119th Street.

•

Retailers should be encouraged to extend their business operations to the sidewalk, with advertisements, sales, or outdoor restaurant seating. This helps create a lively and energetic feel to the street. For example, the narrow lot adjacent to Fagan’s could be developed as a deck for outdoor seating.

Figure 3.6 A need for greater window transparency

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT Design Design standards (including façade, streetscape and site design) are important details in maintaining a consistent identity. Minor changes and improvements often can have a major impact on the visual character of a district.

•

Vinyl, aluminum and Permastone siding should be discouraged, as these materials have less aesthetic value in a Main Street retail district. Brick, stone or decorative wood surfaces should be encouraged.

•

All facades should be designed to encourage window-shopping. For example, large windows, storefront displays and

Figure 3.7 Façade renovations can add visual identity to buildings

welcoming entrances should be encouraged.

•

Require the use of landscaping to buffer existing parking lots from the pedestrian view.

•

Surface all crosswalks in brick. Some locations have brick surfacing in only one direction. Raise the crosswalks slightly to act as a visual marker for pedestrians and encourage decreased traffic speed. This will also slow the speed of cars in the district.

•

Maintain a clean, crisp appearance for all street fixtures. For example, the glass covers of the acorn street lamps should be cleaned regularly.

38

Figure 3.8 Buffering parking lot views improves the aesthetics for pedestrians and red brick accents would improve the visibility and safety of all crosswalks

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT Recommendations and Implementation:

Signage Regulations • • •

Encourage the use of projecting, externally lit wood signs that

Marketing and Recruiting Retailers

appeal to pedestrians and add to the historic feel of the district.

Attracting the appropriate mix and type of retail uses can be chal-

Discourage or prohibit wall mounted, pole mounted, and inter-

lenging. The Redevelopment Commission is to be commended

nally lit signs.

for aggressively targeting retailers and marketing storefront vacan-

All signs should be professionally produced and maintained.

cies. The CDC team has identified additional strategies that can be

Borders, trim, and aluminum siding should be cleaned on a

employed to influence the retail business mix on the 119th Main Street

regular basis. Signs should have a maximum clearance of 13

District.

feet from the lowest point of the sign to the ground.

•

Market the district to retailers who have had similar success in surrounding communities.

•

Directly market to site location specialists for retailers that would add value to 119th Street. For major retailers, the contact information for these individuals is often located on their company’s corporate website.

•

Hold a breakfast seminar, targeted to local retail entrepreneurs, on the assets and advantages of locating on 119th Street.

•

Coordinate street tours to targeted developers and retailers, noting the assets and major success stories of the district.

•

Develop sell sheets for targeted vacancies, noting the area’s assets, leaseable square footage, rental rates, and the location of businesses that generate heavy customer traffic.

Figure 3.9 Signage guidelines will help unify the district’s image

Focus on locations with larger amounts of retail square footage.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT •

Involve the Chamber of Commerce with business development and retail recruitment activities.

•

All three areas of the district (east, central, and west) are in need of additional anchors.

•

In general, vacant lots should be developed into commercial or residential buildings that fit with the architectural context.

Recommendations and Implementation: Gateways Enhancing prominent gateways will help announce the district and connect the 119th Street with activity from major thoroughfares. Coordinating the use of way-finding and marketing signage will help create a consistent identity and theme for the district.

•

Figure 3.10 Opportunity site for new mixed-use development

Promote the intersection of Indianapolis and 119th Street with a retail and historic main street themed arch.

•

The 119th and Indianapolis Gateway is an ideal location for a sheltered bus stop for the Hammond Transit System.

•

Bring attention to the location of Lake Michigan with a clear and distinctive path, marked with brick accents and signage.

Figure 3.11 Gateway and identity signage are needed at the entrance and exit nodes of 119th Street

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

119TH STREET ASSESSMENT Recommendations and Implementation: Mixed use residential/retail development A typical practice to support business districts is to increase nearby residential density. This development style will provide additional consumers and a continued expansion of the district’s activities, providing a greater opportunity for retailers to succeed. The concentration of residential uses in higher density development also tends to decrease overall infrastructure and public service costs, and thus is more sustainable over time.

•

Encourage residential development in the narrow, vacant lots and above all new retail establishments on 119th Street.

•

Promote these developments to families without children, elderly individuals, or as rental units for students, faculty and staff of local colleges and universities.

•

Provide upscale condos with high quality design or lake-front views to offset slow market conditions.

•

First floor retail on all mixed-use buildings fronting 119th Street should be required.

Figure 3.12 Opportunity site for multi-floor development

Recommendations and Implementation: Historical Museum Locate the Whiting Historical Museum in one of the single-family residential structures across from City Hall. These Victorian houses are a natural home for such a museum and will draw visitors to the 119th Main Street District.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Overview of Land Use Scenarios and Evaluation Criteria Determining the most appropriate plan for the redevelopment area in the City of Whiting involved an approach that balanced the community’s vision for the land with fiscal realities and sound planning principles. Some of the criteria and objectives for redevelopment could be quantified, including property tax returns and job creation.

Other criteria, such as conformity to the principles of previous plans and the wishes of the community, were characterized and evaluated more qualitatively.

The research team first listed the objectives and criteria that should be used to evaluate the plan. Then, four discrete land-use plans were drafted and evaluated according to these criteria, three of which are presented below. Each plan took into account the constraints on development and site characteristics so that it could be realistic in its own right. For the quantitative criteria, an economic impacts model was created to estimate various fiscal and employment consequences.

The redevelopment of Whiting’s former industrial property should: •

Meet the expectations of the community as gathered from the Mayor’s Task Force Meeting (page 25)

•

Maximize financial return to the city by increasing and diversifying the tax base and providing good jobs in the community

•

Represent where appropriate the needs and concerns of residents, stakeholders and those responsible for redevelopment

•

Provide a buffer between heavy industry and residences

•

Provide greater public access to the lakefront under the guidance of the Marquette Plan

•

Respect the architectural context and urban fabric of the surrounding community

•

At best, support and strengthen the retail district on 119th Street and at least avoid weakening it

•

Reinforce the existing pedestrian environment

•

Create a blueprint for growth that is achievable given the resources of the community

The following are the criteria used for evaluating each of the four land use scenarios. These are derived from many sources, including the Mayor’s Task Force Meeting, the city’s stated development objectives, research into the critical issues facing the community and conversations with many of the community’s stakeholders.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION

Economic Impacts Model

for each use in the redevelopment area. In some cases this was

Throughout the evaluation process, the research team sought to incorpo-

based on real estate market analysis, in others on the total amount of

rate the interrelatedness of the overall objectives, site constraints and

land available that would be suitable for the use. For more detailed

economic conditions. The economic model employed to evaluate the

information about the assumptions and methods of the economic

property tax and employment impacts of the various redevelopment sce-

model, see Appendix A.

narios includes such considerations. The model takes into consideration the distribution of land uses after redevelopment is complete, and projects

The model also compares the relative benefits of the development

the probable amount of new property tax and employment. This approach

scenario to the approximate costs from the city’s perspective. The

was taken because there is little substantial difference between the devel-

benefits focus on property tax revenue and employment. Each sce-

opment timelines for most of the scenarios. However, scenarios that

nario uses a 7.2% commercial and industrial property tax rate on land

delay or accelerate benefits are noted in the detailed scenario descriptions

and improvements. A 2% tax rate is used for new residential develop-

(beginning on page 46).

ment, in anticipation of forthcoming residential tax relief. Employment benefits to the community are estimated at 5% of gross annual pay-

A number of assumptions were made about how the development would

roll. This relatively conservative employment benefit figure captures

affect the local economy. Stated briefly, the expected employment was

local benefits stemming from increased retail spending in the com-

calculated from published estimates of the number of employees per

munity and local home improvements or increased apartment lease

square foot by land use. The required number of parking spaces was

rates, all as a result of a larger local employment base. Direct costs to

calculated using the requirements of the City zoning code. The concept

the city of Whiting were also calculated to indicate the level of invest-

of saturation was used to define the maximum square footage possible

ment necessary. Park development costs and costs associated with road, and sewer and water mains form the majority of development costs.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION

Land Use Scenarios The three land use scenarios in this section and the recommended land use plan represent alternative development strategies for Whiting’s redevelopment effort. Each scenario emphasizes some development criteria while downplaying others and varies the allocation of land to each potential new use. The output of the economic model and considerations of other criteria are discussed for each of the four scenarios in the tables and figures to the right.

For the recommended land use plan, see page 52. The recommended land use plan represents what the CDC project team consid-

Table 4.1 Land allocation by land use type

ers to be the optimal balance of the various criteria and constraints.

The Table 4.2 presents rankings for the scenarios on the each of the criteria described on page 42.

Table 4.2. Scenario rankings

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Figure 4.1 shows the results of the scenario evaluation on the economic criteria. The recommended land use plan has the second highest annual benefit to the city, the lowest development cost, and the highest ratio of annual benefit to total cost.

Figure 4.1 Development revenue evaluation

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Land Use Scenario A Highlights This scenario portrays what the CDC team interpreted community preferences for the available land in the redevelopment area. It was generated by combining the preferences of participants at the community focus group meeting for different types of land uses with the themes of the community’s discussion (see page 27).

Figure 4.2 Land use map for Scenario A

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Benefits •

The provision of almost 22 acres of new park space, including nearly all of the BP Basin, is attuned both to the Marquette Plan and to the inclinations of the Whiting community.

•

Tourist-focused commercial uses fit into a growth strategy, popular among many civic-minded Whiting residents, of attracting attention and new residents to the city by developing a new entertainment district. Compatibility with potential new lakefront development is also high.

•

Light industry, the other principal use for the available land, provides quality jobs and diversifies the sources of tax revenue while keeping negative spillovers to a minimum.

Drawbacks •

The large amount of park space will be costly to develop and maintain, and the transformation of all of BP Basin into a publicly accessible park does not leave the refinery with an adequate protective buffer in front of its filtration plant.

• Table 4.2 Land use allocation for Scenario A

The small amount of municipal land is inadequate to house the new City filtration plant and to relocate the City garage.

•

Developing a large amount of tourist-focused entertainment and retail at the end of 119th may damage the historic business district and significantly change the social character of Whiting.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Land Use Scenario B Highlights This scenario maximizes both Main Street retail and boat storage with supporting potential lakefront recreational development as the overriding criterion. To give the retail a cachet, new commercial establishments are placed along an extension of 119th Street angling southeast from Front Street so that stores overlook a linear park between the new street alignment and the railroad tracks.

Figure 4.3 Land use map for Scenario B

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Benefits •

Park space along a shopping promenade would provide an excellent retail environment. In addition, lake views from the storefronts may be possible with suitable site preparation. New retail is well located to take advantage of increased lakefront activity.

•

The corner of 121st and Front Streets is a node identified by stakeholders as critical to new lakefront facilities. This scenario landbanks that area for a planned development in the future when the highest and best use of the land is apparent.

•

The large amount of park and recreational space created will be a welcome amenity and is a top priority in the community.

Drawbacks •

The addition of a large amount of new retail space at the end of 119th Street, separated from the historic Main Street, may in effect create an independent and competing shopping district.

The sales performance of the new development may also be disappointing because of the inaccessibility of the location.

• Table 4.3 Land use allocation for Scenario B

The land use plan is unbalanced, with little industrial development and overreliance on assumptions about an uncertain future.

•

Because of the small amount of land devoted to high revenuegenerating industrial uses, tax increment will grow only slowly in the redevelopment area. Boat storage will provide the majority of the increment.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION Land Use Scenario C Highlights This scenario strives for a balance among revenue-generating uses. New Main Street retail buildings would be developed along the Conrail railroad right-of-way (ROW), fronting on a new street.

Boat storage and high impact industrial would be located on land formerly used as a BP parking lot; light industrial uses predominate on the land just east of Front Street. A small triangular area at the end of 119th Street would be reserved for park space.

Figure 4.4 Land use map for Scenario C

50

Table 4.4 Land use allocation for Scenario C

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO EVALUATION

Benefits

Drawbacks

•

•

New retail development is located near the point along 119th Street where business uses grade into residential and could accommo-

cost, detracts from the potential amenity of commercial uses

date a commercial anchor. It can also take advantage of proximity

fronting on the park area north of the water filtration plant.

to new residential development in the railroad ROW north of 119th.

•

•

•

Main Street retail is not optimally placed to capture traffic from

The mix of revenue-generating land uses is well diversified. Also,

potential lakefront activity, and the lower allocation of land

the ratio of high impact to low impact industrial is shifted towards

to Boulevard retail falls short of capturing a significant amount

the latter, which will ease the need for public investment and

of the excess demand in Whiting-Robertsdale.

promote political acceptability while providing significant tax rev•

Building a road through the railroad ROW, in addition to its

•

While untapped retail demand in Whiting-Robertsdale is size-

enue.

able, this scenario attempts to capture almost all of it through

The configuration of light industrial land uses makes it possible,

small-format, Main Street-type space rather than the more

with minor space consolidation, to retain Service Lumber at its

typical Boulevard retail development for which the market is

present location.

more attractive. The square footage is probably more than

Boulevard retail development would be less vigorous, requiring

119th Street can absorb, and so it may be destructive to the

less need to relocate existing uses or deploy eminent domain

existing retail district.

powers.

•

The proposed amount of office space is very large and may be unfeasible without substantial commitment from a large anchor tenant. Since the market is still unproven, the allocation may be too high.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Recommended Land Use Plan The CDC team’s recommended land use plan takes elements from the other scenarios evaluated and tries to optimize their benefits. It strives for a balanced allocation of land uses, and it is ambitious, envisioning significant changes across the eastern side of Whiting. It proposes new homes, new jobs, and well-placed new park space. Yet the plan also largely follows the historic pattern of land use in Whiting, with some significant departures, while building in the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions.

Table 5.1 Land use allocation for recommended land use plan

52

Figure 5.1 Recommended land use map

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION By acreage, the majority of the land is allocated to boat storage and to

A new multi-use off-street trail would run from the lakefront along

low and high impact industrial. While heavy industry is attractive for its

Front Street, through the BP Barrel House park, and along the old

potential to generate tax revenue, this land use cannot shoulder great

Indiana Harbor Belt railroad right-of-way to join with Hammond’s path

expectations. Subsurface groundwater issues impede foundation work,

to Wolf Lake (Figure 5.2). At the intersection of 119th and Front

the City will probably have to put up lucrative financial incentives to get

Streets would be park space combined with the City’s train museum.

non-BP industrial development, and the region is oversupplied with land

Because of the tourist draw the train station will provide, this land

well located and infrastructured for heavy industry.

use plan accomplishes some of the goals of Scenario A without the need for commercial development in competition with 119th Street.

The acreage devoted to boat storage is somewhat shy of the saturation

Allocating public land at the end of 119th Street allows the City to

point, although it would still support expanded boat launch facilities on the

have a signature public use at the end of its historic main axis and

lakefront and provide a steady revenue stream. Boat storage is located so

also addresses the confused character of the area surrounding the

that it can expand into contiguous land and replace heavy industry should

intersection.

the latter prove difficult to develop.

While the recommended plan is light on park space relative to SceJob-producing uses are mainly light industrial in the area east of Front

nario A, what it lacks in quantity it proposes to make up in quality.

Street and office development on the Globe site. Retail uses follow market

Park space is dispersed and provided in smaller units so that it can be

conditions, with the preponderance being Boulevard Retail located at

placed strategically to buttress nearby uses, for example by serving

Schrage and Indianapolis. A small but important quantity of Main Street

as an amenity integrated with retail and residential development in the

Retail would be developed in the Conrail railroad right-of-way, where new

Conrail right-of-way.

residences would also be developed. This land is under City control and probably has fewer environmental concerns compared to other locations in the redevelopment area.

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Design, Site, Use, and Implementation Details To provide further detail for the recommended land use plan, schematic site plans were drawn up for five crucial elements of the plan.

These elements involve new uses for areas in close proximity to residences and daily life, making redevelopment a sensitive matter calling for integration with the familiar setting of the Whiting’s neighborhoods.

Besides context sensitivity and the other criteria that governed selection of the recommended land use plan, each use also has its own particular requirements for success.

The purpose of the site plans in this section is to provide graphical suggestions to meet the design goals of redevelopment. They are intended to serve as materials with which to prepare Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for redevelopment, as described in more detail on page 67. Each proposal is a mixture of what the CDC team, with stakeholder input, has determined would be best for the site and what it expects the market would be willing to provide. The site plans should be read as core concepts to guide redevelopment whose details can be interpreted flexibly.

As the site plans are urban design proposals, they convey the general

Figure 5.2 Map showing proposed Bike Trail connecting Lakes Michigan, George and Wolf (see page 53)

mass and placement of buildings, landscaping, etc., but do not consider building design. Perspective sketches that accompany the site plans give a sense of the look and feel of the proposals.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION In addition to providing graphical suggestions for urban design in the redevelopment area, this section also discusses the details of implementing the preferred land use plan.

Residences in Railroad Right-Of-Way The former Conrail right-of-way (ROW) just east of the water filtration plant is now owned by the city and is used primarily for public parking (Figure 5.3).

Soil excavated during construction of the Lakefront Commons development, located north of 119th Street on part of the same ROW, is being stored on part of the site. Standard Avenue borders the site on the east, and beyond that a group of houses unflatteringly known as “Hunkytown,” a holdover from

Figure 5.3 Conrail Railroad right of way, currently used for parking

the early days of Hungarian immigration to Whiting (Figure 5.4). These small, closely packed, 1.5-story homes were built as Standard Oil worker housing and are peculiarly arranged in an island-like development behind the buildings along 119th and Front Streets. Although colorfully painted and possessed of a unique character, they require some rehabilitation and the homes lack front yards.

In no particular order of priority, residential development in this context should meet six design criteria to succeed: it should (1) offer substantial views of Lake Michigan; (2) capitalize on the park area south of the ROW as a housing amenity; (3) fit the neighborhood context; (4) employ a design supported by the community; (5) accommodate automobile and parking needs; and (6) create incentives for the adjoining property owners to improve their homes.

Figure 5.4 Historic homes of “Hunkytown”

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION The proposed design (Figure 5.5) takes its inspiration from residential developments in Chicago’s South Loop, an area mentioned several times during the community meeting as a model for new housing in Whiting. Twenty-six detached homes with rear-access tuck-under parking are lined up along a new alley running lengthwise down the ROW. This basic development type is common in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. In the present proposal, the homes on the north are 3 to 3.5 stories high to take in lake views over existing structures.

They front onto Standard Avenue, which would be widened from alleywidth to accommodate a one-way travel lane and a parking lane. To soften the environment in the new alley, houses might have short concrete bumpouts on either side of the garage doors for planters.

To the south, homes face onto the park and are two stories high to minimize views of the refinery. These homes can have private front yards if the lots are extended somewhat into the BP Barrel House property. Finally, an ancillary parking lot is located at the southeast end of the ROW to provide additional visitor parking.

Narrow frame houses with gable-shaped roofs would be well-suited to the neighborhood context, especially on the lake-facing side of the development. The South Loop also provides good examples of this housing type, with several developments taking advantage of the surging market for “new houses that look old” (Figure 5.6). The sketch in Figure 5.7 shows how these homes might appear from a

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Figure 5.5 Proposed site plan for new residential development

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION vantage point near where Standard Avenue intersects with 119th Street.

Finally, the South Loop offers a particularly successful example of housing arranged around a public park (Figure 5.8).

Residential redevelopment in the railroad ROW should be approached as a planned unit development (PUD), specifically a Planned Development Extraordinary (PD-E) under the City’s zoning code. Although the

Figure 5.6 Example of Chicago’s South Loop homes

proposed design is in keeping with many bulk and density stipulations in the City’s current zoning code, the characteristics of the site and the context make it difficult to redevelop in full conformity with the code.

While the variance procedure could help solve this problem, merely rezoning the land as High Density Residential will not afford the City sufficient control over the design. That is, without soliciting proposals for a PUD, the city will not be able to ensure development meets the

Figure 5.7 Perspective sketch of new residential development in the railroad right-of-way.

objectives recommended in this plan. Please refer to Appendix B for recommendations pertaining to the preparation of requests for proposals.

The City’s experience in developing the Lakefront Commons on the northern portion of the ROW can help serve as a template for the present site. There the City sold the land at a bargain and agreed to assist in excavating contaminated soils. Because of the somewhat less marketable site in the present case, however, it may be necessary for the City at least to donate the land to the developer to make redevelopment feasible.

Figure 5.8 Example of homes that front a park in Chicago’s South Loop

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Retail Development in Railroad Right-of-Way The park-like wooded area north of the filtration plant, combined with the tip of the railroad ROW, comprises a large blank area along 119th Street that weakens the continuity of the business district (Figure 5.10).

When considered in combination with the proposed construction of condominiums across the street, however, this area gains opportunities for commercial development.

Commercial development in this area should meet seven design criteria to succeed: it should (1) fit the context of the historic main street district; (2) provide sufficient undivided space to house a commercial anchor for the east end of the business district; (3) allow adequate flexibility to accom-

Figure 5.9 Perspective sketch of new retail end of the Conrail right-of-way abutting 119th Street

modate changing market conditions; (4) make good use of the available site amenities; (5) tie in well with recreational destination uses nearby, i.e., the skate park and the baseball fields; (6) provide adequate access to both pedestrians and automobiles; and (7) have residential space in the upper floors.

The proposed site design (Figure 5.5) envisions 14,000 square feet of retail space, approximately at the expected market saturation point, with an anchor location fronting onto 119th Street. A shopping promenade would angle down the ROW with stores fronting onto the wooded area north of the filtration plant, which has a pleasant settled-in quality that would make a charming setting for shoppers. The sketch in Figure 5.9 shows how the area might appear. By preserving the filtration plant building for a new

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Figure 5.10 Empty area on 119th Street created by the railroad right-of-way

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION use, perhaps associated with recreation, the proposed layout would form

design control appropriate to the Main Street district. The City should

a well-scaled park with a strong sense of enclosure. The extension of the

be prepared to consider the park portion of the proposed site design,

buildings down the ROW is segmented into spaces of equal size — like

and perhaps parking area construction/ enlargement, as its part in the

the buildings on 119th on their standard city lots — providing the flexibility

redevelopment. Coordinating this with building construction would be

to build according to market conditions. Most of the parking is located in

easiest with a single developer or a PUD.

front of the stores, buffered by park space, although additional parking is located behind the buildings. With improved market conditions, part of this lot could be removed, as there is adequate space for more parking along the access road to the baseball fields.

Retail Development at Indianapolis and Schrage The north corners of Schrage and Indianapolis are now occupied on one side by Dotty’s Tavern and several residences, and on the other by a mini storage shop and glass block distributor. Because this

The preferred means of developing Main Street retail on the railroad ROW

intersection has a stop light and is, for cars travelling west, an entry

site is a PUD. Since the new retail development is meant to integrate

point into a commercial and residential area after a long stretch of

smoothly with the commercial structures along 119th (while also represent-

industry, it is highly visible and well-suited for additional commercial

ing an interesting departure from them), the zoning and design recom-

development. The available redevelopment sites in the area — Justak

mendations for the Main Street District presented earlier (pages 36-39) also

and Globe — descend south almost to Indianapolis, but not far

apply here. Combining these recommendations with the schematic site

enough to be visible to traffic passing by. The CDC team therefore

plan should provide an adequate basis to develop an RFP. Because the

proposes acquiring the parcels from the mini storage and glass block

City’s current development standards for the Downtown Business zoning

operation and the residences to garner frontage along Indianapolis.

district call for a minimum lot width of 60 feet — much wider than many

Dotty’s Tavern, however, is a viable use consistent with commercial

of the buildings now present on 119th Street that take up 100 percent

redevelopment, and a delightful building besides, so this structure

of their lots’ street frontage — parceling out the tip of the ROW for retail

should be incorporated into the development plan. The resulting

development may not result in the Main-street-like environment envisioned

area would be sufficient to accommodate 40,000 square feet of com-

in the site design. Subdividing the land into parcels of 60 by 83-100 feet,

mercial space — a figure well under market saturation — and the

zoning them Downtown Business, and offering building incentives is a

parking required at 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet, as mandated by

possible route for redevelopment, but this approach will not provide the

the City’s zoning code.

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RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Site design for commercial development at Indianapolis and Schrage should meet three criteria to succeed: it should (1) provide adequate visibility to all retailers; (2) provide both automobile orientation, with ample parking in front of buildings and multiple curb cuts, and shallow setbacks and continuous curbing along Indianapolis; and (3) provide adequate pedestrian and automobile circulation within the site and prevent congestion at the street intersection. Figure 5.11 shows a site design representative of the development the market could be expected to provide. It could include a medium format anchor retail space (e.g., a hardware store, a drug store) of 25,000 gross square feet, two medium-small format spaces of 5,000 gross square feet each (e.g., a sit-down restaurant), and two small format spaces of 2,500 gross square feet each (e.g, a dry cleaner, a video rental store). Along Indianapolis west of Schrage, it is desirable for the buildings to be angled toward the street, maintaining a street presence to integrate both with Dotty’s and existing uses further along Indianapolis.

East of Schrage, the Boulevard frontage would be given over mainly to parking, affording visibility for the anchor store at the northeast end of the site. The building on the outparcel south of the anchor store could readily accomodate a drive-in fast food establishment or bank.

The site plan should preserve the existing street grid and traffic flow by building on either side of Schrage rather than vacating it. Because Schrage is the main collector road leading from Whiting’s residential, commercial, and industrial areas onto Indianapolis, it carries a great deal of traffic. Further development east of Front Street will increase traffic

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Figure 5.11 Character of proposed Boulevard Retail and office development on the Globe block.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION demands on Schrage somewhat. The UIC team’s transportation analysis

Globe site needed for redevelopment are owned, or soon to be

(see Appendix C) suggested that rerouting this traffic would be very difficult

owned, by the City. The estimated cost (2005) of buying the res-

if Schrage were closed. Thus, this plan considers the split site a fixed

idences or compensating the owners is likely $400-500,000, with

feature of the development. Automobile circulation should be one-way, with

approximately another $50,000 for demolition and site preparation.

cars entering the parking lots via Schrage and exiting by White Oak and,

The owner of the mini storage should be offered a land swap, poten-

on the west, an internal collector leading onto Indianapolis. Traffic should

tially within the light industrial area demarcated in the preferred land

not exit the proposed commercial site via Schrage because of the potential

use plan. Although the mini storage business depends on visibility

for increased congestion.

from Indianapolis, it may be possible to advertise the business by means of suitable signage. Other sites are also available for relocating

Zoning changes cannot effectively promote the redevelopment proposed

the mini storage units.

here. The parcels fronting Indianapolis are already zoned Boulevard Business, which does not permit the duplex and single-family residences on the

The land should be zoned entirely Boulevard Business and marketed

site. These nonconforming uses are permitted to remain indefinitely, so the

to developers through a request for proposals (see page 67). The City

only way to strengthen the effect of zoning would be to amend the code

should be prepared to write down the cost of the land substantially

to provide for amortization, rarely a popular provision. As the commercial

as a development incentive. It is expected that the market, given the

property market improves along Indianapolis, however, the residences —

available land and the zoning requirements, would provide around

generally in fair to poor condition — may be purchased by a private

40,000 SF of commercial space. A PUD probably is not necessary

interest for commercial development without public sector assistance. Both

from this standpoint, although proposals requiring a PUD should be

possibilities are slow and uncertain and provide the City little control over

evaluated on their merits. However, it is crucial to ensure that the

redevelopment.

business mix in the development does not directly compete with the 119th Street business district. Thus, the leasing plan submitted as part

The CDC team recommends negotiating to purchase the property and

of the development proposal should be evaluated closely for potential

assembling the parcels for redevelopment. Justak and the portion of the

conflicts with the Main Street district.

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RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Office Development on Globe Site The narrow, elongated Globe site is ill-suited for modern manufacturing.

Though its lot depth is standard for residential blocks in Whiting, and it faces homes across Schrage Avenue, historic pollution and the lack of a buffer from the refinery hampers redevelopment of the site for residential use. An ambitious, revenue-generating use for the site would be office development. As a “clean” use, offices generate few negative spillovers.

They operate on a nine-to-five schedule, generate little delivery traffic, and produce no noxious odors. Moreover, offices would serve as a buffer between the refinery and the homes along Schrage Avenue. They therefore provide a good transition between industrial and residential uses.

Office development on the Globe site should meet six design criteria to succeed: it should (1) be designed in scale with the residences across the street; (2) have main visitor entrances in the front so that the offices contribute to the activity and vitality of the neighborhood; (3) provide a substantial visual buffer from the refinery; (4) accommodate parking unobtrusively; (5) have substantial landscaping as an amenity for employees and the neighborhood; and (6) permit a flexible and economical layout.

Figure 5.12 Proposed concepts for office designs (sketches provided by Amanda Hoagland)

The proposed site plan envisions three buildings of two stories, totaling 32,500 gross square feet, with parking on the ground floor and additional surface parking surrounding the buildings (Figure 5.12). It is expected that the simplest, most economical building form for the site would be rectanglar boxes longer than they are wide. Two stories would provide

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION a substantial buffer blocking views of the refinery. Setting the buildings back from the street by 30 feet provides a secondary buffer: a double row of large trees lining a wide sidewalk running the length of the development. This sidewalk terminates by joining with the multi-use trail that is elsewhere proposed to connect to Hammond’s trail to Wolf Lake and, through Whiting, to Lake Michigan (Figure 5.2). At the north end of the redeveloped block, the trail would run through a dilapidated area of rental properties and commercial that is proposed for redevelopment into a park.

The most suitable anchor tenant for the offices on Schrage would be BP. Indeed, office development will be difficult without a commitment from BP to lease (or develop) offices for a quantifiable number of employees. With this commitment in hand, the City can bring its ownership of the land to the table to help ensure a desirable character for the development.

Figure 5.13 Proposed redesign of BP Basin Area

Front Street and BP Basin - Park and Restoration The recommended land use plan envisages a multi-use off-street trail running along the east edge of Front Street to the lakefront (Figure 5.2).

It is the thread connecting crucial nodes in Whiting. BP Basin, at the north end of the thread, now contains a beach area protected by riprap that is overgrown by a strip of volunteer vegetation, and an access road running to the BP filtration plant (Figure 4.13). While this entire area would Figure 5.14 Bike path seen end-on.

make an excellent extension of Whiting Park, BP needs an off-limits area

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RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION to buffer its filtration plant. This plan therefore proposes extending Whiting Park partially into the BP Basin, using similar turf, trees, paths, and lighting, but restoring the remainder to native conditions with limited public access in the most sensitive restoration areas closest to the filtration plant. At their seam, the park and restoration area would flow into one another, although the improved path would circle back. The walking paths could emerge onto the beach by selectively creating small gaps in the riprap. On the park side, there could be an opportunity to provide a dog park or “dog beach”: Whiting has

Figure 5.15 Bike path and at-grade rail-road crossing on Front Street

no park area set aside for dog runs, and the nearest dog beach is on Chicago’s North Shore. On the nature area side, restoration would involve replanting with native vegetation and perhaps creating low dune communities near the filtration plant as a reminder of the area’s original ecology. Grants through the Coastal Zone Management Act (administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management) or other sources could be available for such work.

Continuing south from BP Basin, the trail would cross five railroad tracks at grade to reach the intersection of Front and 119th Streets.

This node is an important one, as it marks where the axis of the business district meets the main thoroughfare to the lakefront. As of now the street bed is somewhat undefined, with limited curbing and discontinuous sidewalks, making pedestrian access from 119th to the lakefront awkward. Pedestrian and automobile traffic are not currently well separated. Through this stretch, the new trail would be designed

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Figure 5.16 Examples of traditionally-styled train stations

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION much like the sidewalks in the business district, adorned with similar acorn

this firm currently occupies the site it only needs to move some of its

lamps and paved with brick similar to the crosswalks (Figure 5.14). In this

operations to the east. This use has the added benefit of preserving the

way a link would be established between 119th and the lakefront via Front

site in good condition for a time in the future that additional lakefront

Street. Elsewhere on the trail, away from the lakefront, a surfacing material

amenities may be appropriate. For the remainder of the light industrial

should be used that is more suited to bicycling than brick. The lamps will

area there are a number of implementation steps that Whiting should

help define the walkway and provide a sense of buffering from traffic. While

take. First, this area should be considered for light industrial businesses

at-grade crossings are less safe than grade separation, Whiting residents

that are relocated as a result of the redevelopment plan. In the short

are accustomed to train passage. It is doubtful that a pedestrian bridge that

term, the Whiting Industry Business Incubator (proposed below, page

required walking up stairs or an incline would see much use.

70) could utilize the current municipal fleet office. Later on, as funds

At the end of 119th Street would be a triangular park through which the trail would run. Just beyond, the train museum could be sited along the tracks.

Ideally, it would be designed to recall the passenger and commuter train stations of the past (Figure 5.15 and 5.16) with a prominent clock tower set up as a focal point at the end of the 119th Street view corridor.

Industrial areas Site design for the industrial areas would be premature, since these uses have functional requirements that should not be prejudged. However, a conceptual discussion of property subdivision is useful to understand how these areas could be developed.

become available, a new facility should be constructed in this area to accommodate this use. The remainder of the site should be subdivided and sold as the city is approached by light industrial firms. It will be important to emphasize shared parking accommodations, freight access and pedestrian access to and from 119th Street in decisions about the redevelopment of this area.

The South Barrel House Site The CDC project team envisions the development of the southern end of the Barrel House site as contingent on other development decisions in the community. This site would be appropriate for any land use except for heavy industry or residences. If the intersection of

The Service Lumber Company is an acceptable use for the stretch of light industrial property south of the railroad lines from the proposed municipal train museum to the eastern edge of the redevelopment site. Because

121st Street and Front Street becomes heavily trafficked due to dense redevelopment of the BP site and new lakefront recreational amenities, a retail use would be appropriate. If there is substantial demand for

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION new office facilities after the redevelopment of the Globe site, a new

unused lot area as a buffer. Likewise, depending on the use that is

office complex that complements Standard Diamonds Park would be

proposed for these sites, parking requirements in the zoning code may

an appropriate use. If, however, if there is strong demand for light

need to be reduced to accommodate redevelopment. It will be important

industrial space and no available land, a site plan that buffers the

to allow space for future industrial development, since industry generally

park from truck traffic and provides additional space for light industry

provides well-compensated jobs and ample property tax revenue. How-

would make sense. In the meantime, the site can provide additional

ever, boat storage and other warehousing uses should be used judiciously

parking space for Standard Diamonds Park and should be considered

to screen these uses from the residential areas of the community.

for other ideas that may develop. In the view of the CDC project team, the best use for this particular parcel will become apparent after other development occurs in the community.

The Main BP Site Aside from the area allocated for the new municipal fleet parking and water filtration plant, the main BP site should be divided between boat storage and heavy industrial property. The city should retain ownership of this property and lease it to boat storage developers or industrial concerns as they approach the city. This land will contribute very little to tax revenue and the city will benefit far more by exercising leasing authority to restrict harmful uses on the property.

The improvements on this property may remain subject to property taxation. It may be necessary to waive the 50% maximum lot coverage requirement of the High-Impact Industrial zoning classification since this would make it impossible for most large industrial uses

Figure 5.17 Example of small, industrial “flex” space

to use this site. If this occurs, the boat storage would replace the

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Request for Proposal Overview Issuing requests for proposals (RFPs) is an effective way to implement the

character of new development. An example for the Conrail Railroad

preferred land use plan and development concepts outlined in the CDC

right-of-way site could be a requirement that retail development abut

team’s recommendations. These documents are highly effective in regulat-

and face the 119th Street District. Having reviewed numerous RFPs

ing the design, character, and use of new development in two primary

from various municipalities, the CDC team’s regulatory recommenda-

ways: 1) they advocate for and highlight a preferred development concept

tions, design concepts, and development guidelines should provide

and 2) they provide an opportunity to identify site and community assets

sufficient detail for use in a RFP. Whiting’s design review process

relevant to the project. Thus, it is important to recognize these documents

should ensure that these requirements are met.

as extensions of the city’s marketing efforts. RFPs should be created with the intention of identifing a development team that has the experience,

RFPs should be written in an illustrative rather than prescriptive

expertise, and financial stability to implement a site plan that is both

manner when requesting compliance on specific designs and devel-

economically feasible and in conformity with the objectives of the City

opment concepts. This will help to encourage creativity and out of the

of Whiting. Additionally, the RFP process can help to identity a realistic

box thinking among the responding development teams. In the event

time-frame for construction.

that developers feel that Whiting’s preferred concept is flawed, they should submit a detailed explanation of their concerns and an alterna-

It is crucial that RFPs detail the City of Whiting’s goals and objectives for

tive scenario. The City should carefully consider these concerns, as

its redevelopment areas, which should be consistent with previous studies

they may foreshadow the long-term feasibility of the project.

and plans. The high visibility, prominent locations, and/or large footprints of these sites reinforce the importance of this idea. Examples of development

Appendix B provides a sample outline of typical chapters and content

goals and objectives may include the preferred architectural image, mix-

for an RFP.

ture of uses, integration with the surrounding communities, landscaping, parking, and various other planning requirements that will determine the

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Organizational Implementation Strategies Introduction In addition to the recommendations in the previous section, there is a

qualify for the assistance and resources of these agencies. A dedi-

need to augment the organizational capacity of the City to accomplish

cated industrial council that assists small firms and promotes the

economic development objectives. It is likely that there will be a

local community’s opportunities will benefit Whiting-Robertsdale and

need to coordinate the efforts of the redevelopment with the concerns

support regional economic development efforts.

of the merchants on 119th Street; some aspects of this need are explored in the 119th Street assessment chapter. There will also

Currently some resources and capacity in Whiting’s institutions are

be a need to implement the principles and recommendations of this

available to meet this development need. The Whiting Redevelop-

plan, which may require additional capacity beyond what is available

ment Commission, the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce

in the community presently. It is expected that an active and aggres-

and the City administration all take part in development issues to

sive campaign to attract appropriate businesses will be required that

some extent. To provide the support and marketing services neces-

may overly burden the community’s current institutions. This section

sary to accomplish the successful redevelopment of the 60-acre area,

outlines two initiatives that should be introduced to supplement the

the efforts of these various agencies should be coordinated and

community’s economic development resources.

perhaps augmented. The following outlines the mission and activities of an industrial council initiative that the CDC project team suggests

Whiting-Robertsdale Industrial Council

should be created to supplement current efforts.

There is a need in Whiting to focus on local economic development

68

and specific business issues that are not presently served by any

Mission

dedicated agency. Current economic development agencies and

The proposed Whiting-Robertsdale Industrial Council (WRIC) arises

efforts in Northwest Indiana focus on large sites and regional initia-

from the need to manage and maintain the non-retail commercial

tives. Only the largest sites in Whiting’s redevelopment area would

development emerging in the Whiting-Robertsdale community.

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION WRIC’s mission would be to: (1) (2) (3)

Bring new businesses and jobs into the community in a manner

and community outreach, as well as advocating appropriate

that supports sustainable economic development

buffers between heavy industry and neighboring land uses.

Act as a liaison and mediator between industrial, retail and residen-

(3)

Providing administrative and logistical support for businesses

tial interests in the Whiting-Robertsdale area

in the community in activities like municipal government rela-

Provide support and advocacy for the area’s current office, com-

tions (e.g. zoning variances, building permits, etc.), assisting

mercial and industrial businesses in order to keep these vital enter-

with state government programs and regulations and facilitat-

prises operating in the community

ing employee recruitment efforts.

Activities

Organization

Consistent with its mission, WRIC has three principal activities:

WRIC would be organized as a small 501(c)(3) organization that

(1)

Business recruitment is WRIC’s central activity. Identifying and

would work with the Hammond Development Corporation, the Whiting

recruiting businesses that complement the community’s business

Redevelopment Commission, IEDC, NIPSCO, NIRPC, the Northwest

mix strengthens the local economy and real estate market. Recruit-

Indiana Forum and others. With a budget of approximately $90,000

ment activities include marketing commercial vacancies, industrial

and one full-time staffer, this organization would coordinate the efforts

outreach, special events and market research. WRIC should

of government, realtors, landlords, businesses and the community

approach local entrepreneurs who need additional space for their

to encourage job growth and economic development in the area.

businesses and individuals who run home-based businesses.

Support for the organization would come from three possible sources:

Additionally, businesses that may be displaced by the city’s rede-

(1)

velopment plans should receive assistance from WRIC in finding a suitable new facility within the community.

(2)

on a sliding scale in proportion to gross sales (2)

WRIC should ensure that business and industry in the community do not create conflicts with the residential community. This would be achieved by coordinating public meetings, information sharing

Membership fees paid by local industry and commercial firms Ongoing commitments, both financial and in-kind, from the Cities of Whiting and Hammond

(3)

Financial support from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation

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CITY DESIGN CENTER

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION Whiting Industry Business Incubator Currently in Northwest Indiana only a handful of industries have a

ing services should draw entrepreneurs from the local technical col-

proven track record. The region’s tremendous transportation assets,

leges while providing a needed service to local cities and industries.

close proximity to one of the nation’s largest consumer and business

Industrial and manufacturing software development firms would also

markets and a strong labor market make Northwest Indiana ideal for

be excellent tenants, occupying offices in the incubator space and

a wide variety of industries. To change the perception that Northwest

adding a new element to the local business mix while also assisting

Indiana is a place for just steel and oil, it is necessary to expand

existing industries. The following outlines the proposed mission and

or incubate new and different businesses in a supportive setting.

activities that a local business incubator should adopt to accomplish

A business incubator that provides below-market rent and business

the goal of diversifying the local economy.

development services would be an essential component in diversifying the industrial composition of the region. In Whiting in particular,

Mission

an incubator that has a focus on light industrial, construction and

The proposed Whiting Industry Business Incubator (WIBI) would exist

office-based businesses would build on the present industries and

to diversify the economic composition of the Northwestern Lake

add new ones.

County and encourage entrepreneurship.

Local entrepreneurs and small businesses should prosper in a setting where rents are subsidized and business support services are pro-

WIBI’s mission would be to: (1)

Northwest Indiana by incubating new types of businesses that

vided. In particular, construction related businesses, like custom cabinet or countertop makers or carpentry firms, would be successful tenants of such an incubator. Environmental remediation firms should be supported in such a space to meet the growing demand for revitalized industrial space in Northwest Indiana. Likewise, laboratories that test water quality and perform other local environmental monitor-

70

Add diversity to the range of firms and industries found in complement the economic environment

(2)

Support business development that adds jobs to the community and support firms that show growth potential

(3)

Serve entrepreneurs in the Whiting, Hammond, East Chicago and Gary communities

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION (4)

Help businesses that face development obstacles to do busi-

munities or individuals who presently face difficulty obtaining

ness in Indiana. This includes entrepreneurs that may have particu-

credit could form a vital core of entrepreneurs and future

lar difficulty obtaining capital or credit at a fair price. It also includes

employers in Northwest Indiana. By seeking out these busi-

industries for which there is no substantial precedent or track

ness people now, the incubator may help to accelerate eco-

record in Northwest Indiana, and which would experience difficulty

nomic development in the community.

proving the feasibility of a business plan. Businesses should be expected to reach profitability and graduate from the incubator in

WIBI’s Clients and Facilities

less than 5 years.

The WIBI should seek to maximize its flexibility by orienting itself to a mix of light-manufacturing, construction and office-type businesses.

Activities

Firms that have no special facility needs should be the mainstay of

Consistent with its mission, WIBI would have three principle activities:

WIBI’s clients. Its space should be a 25,000 to 75,000 square foot

(1)

Providing entrepreneurs with facilities and space at or below

“flex” space building with loading docks, office space and high-speed

market rents

telecom access. In order to provide subsidized rents, the facility

Providing administrative and logistical support for incubator busi-

should be donated or constructed using public and private grants.

(2)

nesses.

(3)

(a) Administrative support would include shared reception,

Organization & Implementation

mail-room, telecom and administrative facilities and staff, to

The Whiting Industrial Business Incubator should be organized as a

help lower overhead costs for the incubated businesses.

non-profit public-private venture. By drawing on the strengths of both

(b) Logistical support includes assistance finding credit and

the public and private market, it could benefit both sectors without

capital, business plan development support, networking and

jeopardizing either. Development assistance from the local business

client identification support, employee recruitment and human

community and municipal or state funding, as well as oversight by a

resources assistance.

non-profit entity (such as the proposed Whiting-Robertsdale Industrial

Outreach to underserved communities in Northwest Indiana. Com-

Council) would be required to develop and operate the incubator.

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Appendix A: Economic Impacts Model Introduction In order to perform a quantitative analysis of the various development scenarios explored in this plan, the City Design Center project team created an economic impacts model (Model). A summary of this Model and its outputs is provided in Chapter 3. This appendix outlines some of the details and assumptions behind the Model.

The Model examines the relative benefit of different development scenarios from the city’s perspective. From this perspective there are a limited number of factors to take into account. The model examines the benefits that accrue from property tax and employment. The City of Whiting derives most of its revenue from local property taxes because for the most part Indiana municipalities do not receive portions of other local tax revenues, such as sales tax. Employment benefits accrue to the community in the form of increased demand for housing, additional spending in stores (which in-turn increases rents and property values), and the overall economic health of the community. The costs to the City examined pertain mostly to infrastructure and park-space development and operation costs. Costs accrued by developers or other stakeholders are not examined.

The Model has three parts. First there is a set of assumptions that underlie the operation of the Model—these assumptions cover a wide range of the analysis from saturation point in the real estate market to Table 1: Real Estate Market Assumptions assessed valuation of property. Secondly, there is a scenario development section that allows the user to assign land uses and building sizes. Lastly, there is the Model output that applies the assumptions to the development scenario.

Assumptions A number of assumptions about the real estate market and assessed values were used to evaluate the six development scenarios. These assumptions are summarized in table 1.

Land Use Boat Storage Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Light Municipal Office Recreational Residential Retail, Boulevard Retail, Mainstreet Roads and Infrastructure

Market saturation point 313,632 250,000 125,000 65,000 48,000 100,000 14,000 -

Assessed Value per square foot Approx Value for per Acre Rent per sf improvements (Land) $ 3.00 $ 3.00 $ 4.00 $ $ 6.50 $ $ 16.28 $ 14.00 $ 8.00 $ -

$ 18.00 $ 35.00 $ 30.00 $ $ 45.00 $ $ 100.00 $ 70.00 $ 50.00 $ -

$ 19,000 19,000 19,000 $ $ 40,000 $ $ 300,000 $ 500,000 $ 250,000 $ $ $

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1 of C I CENTER TUIC YCITY OUIC FCITYWCENTER HRedevelopment IT IN GDESIGN CO MM E CITY R CDESIGN I A LCENTER R EUIC DCITY E VDESIGN E L CENTER O P MUICECITY NT PL A NCENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER DESIGN UIC CITY CENTER UIC DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D 72 Appendix A CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC CITY DESIGN

The market saturation point for each industry had to be calculated individually since they represent individual sub-markets. Early in the project the city indicated that there was development interest in boat storage facilities. The City Design Center team performed an industry analysis on this particular use to determine how much land would be appropriate for this use. The analysis looked at near-by facilities and gauged vacancy and expected growth in demand. A maximum amount of additional viable boat storage space was estimated at 8 acres, which would be the largest single boat storage facility in the region. If this space were 90% built out with storage sheds or other improvements, the maximum additional building would be 313,632 square feet.

The saturation point for new medium to heavy industrial development was based on the amount of space available for such a use. With good jobs and a good deal of taxable improvements, such uses can provide tremendous benefits for a property-tax reliant community. Reusing industrial property for industry is less costly if future environmental harm can be avoided. Such industrial property must be located as far from residential and recreational uses as possible and should be buffered by other uses or barriers. Given these site constraints, only 7 acres of property in the redevelopment area could accommodate new medium to heavy industry. Even with intensive lot use, 250,000 square feet would be the upper end of the build-out size. In a published report, the real estate firm Grubb & Ellis indicated that the demand for industrial space in the Chicago metro region would continue to grow. A survey of industrial facilities performed by the CDC team did not demonstrate significant differences between the Whiting area and the Chicago region data supplied by Grubb & Ellis. Given this information, there is some likelihood that industrial tenants could be found to fully occupy the new industrial development.

The saturation point for light industrial space was calculated differently than that for heavy industry. While the rent per square foot is somewhat higher for light industrial spaces, the typical space in the area is much smaller. Rather than using large 90,000 plus square foot buildings, light industry in the area tends to use spaces of around 20,000 square feet. Even 3,000 to 5,000 square foot flex spaces are common for small operations. So it would not be expected that large amounts of light industrial space would be absorbed as quickly as heaver industry, since more firms would be needed to use that space.

The market for office facilities in Whiting is largely untested. The saturation point for new office space was an estimate of the maximum amount of space that the large firms in the Whiting area might use.

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Currently only lakeside residential developments have sufficient demand to warrant new construction. The saturation point for new homes in the redevelopment area is a function of the amount of lakeside space suitable for residential development and the maximum density that would be appropriate to the scale of the community.

The estimate for new retail space depended upon the type of retail development. The CDC project team used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey and US Census Data for household income to estimate the amount of retail demand in the WhitingRobertsdale area. This was compared to retail receipts as reported by the Dun & Bradstreet database. This retail market analysis found over $66 million in retail leakage, which could support over 300,000 square feet of new retail. New retail development has to be balanced with other considerations, most notably the need to maintain the 119th Street business district. Main Street district retail was limited to seven small new stores or 14,000 square feet total. Larger format retail was restricted so as not to overpower the Main Street District but attract commuters who use Indianapolis Boulevard.

In order to assess the impact of employment, the number of new jobs and the payroll associated with those jobs was estimated (Table 2).

Development rules of thumb for space required per employee for different industries were used to estimate the employment impacts of different land use allocations. Data from the US Census county business patterns for payroll in Lake County, Indiana in 2002 were used to estimate the gross payroll per employee.

Table 2: Employment Impacts Assumptions Land Use Boat Storage Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Light Municipal Office Recreational Residential Retail, Boulevard Retail, Mainstreet Roads and Infrastructure

Average square Gross annual feet per payroll per employee employee 15000 $ 800 $ 350 $ 0$ 250 $ 15000 $ 0$ 400 $ 250 $ 0$

30,000 39,748 51,798 30,000 29,695 30,000 15,798 15,798 -

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CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

Development costs for municipal and recreational space were estimated using comparable figures from the Chicago Park District (Table 3).

Data from the 2003 edition of RS Means Building Construction Cost Data handbook (inflated to present dollars) was used to estimate the cost of road and infrastructure development (Table 4).

Table 3: Municipal development and maintenance costs Maintenance Development costs cost per acre per acre per year Land Use Municipal $ 100,000 $ 25,000 Recreational $ 750,000 $ 35,000 Roads and Infrastructure $ 317,117 $ 10,000

Table 4: Calculator and assumptions for road and infrastructure development Road Cost Cost per unit Conversion to acres Calculator Cost per linear foot of Linear Feet of new 2-lane road $ 275 road 3484 Cost per linear foot of water main $ 30 Miles 0.660 Cost per linear foot of sewer line $ 59 Square Feet 174,200.000 Total Cost per linear Foot $ 364 Acres 3.999 Total Cost $ 1,268,176

Calculations Given these assumptions, the Model compared the different allocations of land uses. Data about the number of acres and approximate size of new buildings was entered into the Model.

At this point the Model produced figures for the amount of space required for parking in addition to the building using ratios like those in the current zoning ordinance. The Model then compared this total to the amount of developable space per use. Scenarios that required more space (due to parking or other land use requirements) were revised to fit within the appropriate space.

Table 5: Whiting Commercial Development Plan. Scenario Development.

Scenario 1, Ambitious Development in the Short Term Approx. sf Land Use building % Parking Acres footprints Saturation Spaces Description Boat Storage Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Light Municipal Office Recreational Residential Retail, Boulevard Retail, Mainstreet Roads and Infrastructure Total

6.0 6.0 6.8 5.0 3.2 10.0 1.6 3.9 1.1

235,224 125,000 125,000 32,500 22,400 56,000 14,000

4.0

-

75.00% 50.00% 100.00% 50.00% 46.67% 56.00% 100.00%

Approx.

Employees sf parking

45 313 417 50 260 280 70

16 156 357 5 130 140 56

18,000 125,000 166,667 20,000 104,000 112,000 28,000

30

-

-

47.6

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Output Once the parking, building and site requirements were balanced, the Model produced an estimate of total economic output. This estimate assumed that new residential development would be taxed at 2% (the likely fixed home-owners tax rate for the coming year), non-residential development at 7.2% (the city’s current tax rate) and that impact of new employment Table 6: Total fiscal benefit would be approximately equal to 5% of gross annual payroll.

Residential property tax revenue $ 54,400 Non-residential property tax revenue $ 1,522,925 Total property tax revenue $ 1,577,325 Local Employment Benefits $ 1,614,352 Total Local Economic Impact $ 3,191,677

Table 7: Output of Economic Model.

Scenario 1, Ambitious Development in the Short Term Total Development Maintenance Total Payroll Employment Cost (year 0) Cost per yr per year Land Use Description Boat Storage Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Light Municipal Office Recreational Residential Retail, Boulevard Retail, Mainstreet Roads and Infrastructure TOTAL

16 $ 156 $ 357 $ 5 $ 500,000 130 $ 0 $ 7,500,000 0$ 140 $ 56 $ 0 $ 1,268,176 860 $ 9,268,176

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Payroll per acre per year Building Value Land Value

$ 470,448 $ 78,408 $ 4,234,032 $ 6,210,613 $ 1,035,102 $ 4,375,000 $ 18,499,213 $ 2,720,473 $ 3,750,000 125,000 $ 150,000 $ 30,000 $ $ 3,860,375 $ 1,206,367 $ 1,462,500 350,000 $ $ - $ $ $ - $ 2,240,000 $ 2,211,709 $ 567,105 $ 3,920,000 $ 884,684 $ 804,258 $ 700,000 39,991 $ $ - $ 514,991 $ 32,287,043 $ 678,312 $20,681,532

$ 114,000 $ 114,000 $ 129,200 $ $ 128,000 $ $ 480,000 $1,950,000 $ 275,000 $ $3,190,200

Total AV

AV per Acre

$ 4,348,032 $ 4,489,000 $ 3,879,200 $ $ 1,590,500 $ $ 2,720,000 $ 5,870,000 $ 975,000 $ $ 23,871,732

$ 724,672 $ 748,167 $ 570,471 $ $ 497,031 $ $1,700,000 $1,505,128 $ 886,364 $ $ 501,517

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC City Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan.

Page 5 of 5 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D 76Appendix A CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

Appendix B: Elements of the RFP The following outline and relevant descriptions detail what might be included in a RFP for the City’s redevelopment areas.

1. Introduction: Include an executive summary identifying the RFP’s general goals, community context, and background information about the development opportunity.

2. Site Description: Detailed information regarding the existing conditions and surrounding community context, regulatory issues, and constraints impacting new development.

• Community description • Site description and existing conditions • Development constraints • Zoning requirements and parcel size / location • Available financing: Examples might include resources from tax increment financing districts, redevelopment areas, property tax abatements, utility allowances, infrastructure dedications, or work force development grants.

3. Project Goals and Objectives: Identifies the City’s project goals and objectives to be met by the developer’s proposal. This section

commonly includes identity and character guidelines, density and intensity of uses, preferred development type, integration with the surrounding community, and economic impacts. Each of the city’s specific development plan objectives should be clarified in this section.

• Agency goals: economic requirements and overall development plans.

• Public participation requirements: To continue the tradition of community representation in Whiting, proposals should include a public participation component specifying the process for incorporating community suggestions into the final plan.

• Quality of life improvements: Examples might include workforce development programs, local hiring requirements, and enhancements to the public realm.

4. Submission Requirements and Criteria: Outlines the specific submission requirements and selection processes for evaluating proposals. The following criteria are often required from the developers: project design, financial feasibility analysis, proposed development schedules, proof of the firm’s experience and success with similar projects, and cooperation with the agency’s development guidelines.

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER City Center Whiting Plan.UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER Page 1 UIC of CITY 2 DESIGN CENTER DESIGNUIC CENTER UICDesign CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITYCommercial DESIGN CENTER Redevelopment UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTERAppendix UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN B 77 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

• • • • • •

Land use, site plan, design of new development, and detailed renderings.

Project phasing plans Market analysis Capital and operating pro-formas Property management and maintenance plans Marketing / leasing strategies

5. Selection Process: Provides administrative information on the selection process, schedule of events, key contact information, and legal notices.

6. Exhibits and Appendices This section should include any additional information on the existing site conditions and the city’s development goals. Examples of such documents could include parcel maps, aerial photography, existing design guidelines, traffic flow analysis, and relevant excerpts from previous community plans.

•

•

•

•

Long Term Ground Lease for Development of the San Pablo Mixed-Use Project, July 16th, 2002, University Village, Albany California http://www.cp.berkeley.edu/UVA_RFP_071602_final_t ext.doc 500 South First Street Mixed Use Development Opportunity, June 14th, 2005, Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose http://www.sjredevelopment.org/RFQ/500SouthFirstRF P0605.pdf Downtown Cultural Entertainment and Retail Complex, City of Sacramento, February, 2005, California, Economic Development Department http://www.cityofsacramento.org/econdev/msc/pdfs/10t h_&_K_Street_RFP.pdf Request for Redevelopment Proposals for City Owned Real Property At Penn and Lowry Avenues North, May 24, 2005, City of Minneapolis, Community Planning and Economic Development Department http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/docs/penn_lowr y_rfp.pdf

The following links are sample request for proposals from four municipalities. Although they have different styles, each RFP does an effective job of communicating the critical information for the development project.

78

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UIC2CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CityUIC Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan. UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNPage 2 of CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D Appendix B UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

Appendix C

Whiting Land Use Plan Traffic Analysis..................................................................................... 1 1.

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2

2.

Traffic Impact Analysis and Assumptions .......................................................................... 2

2.1.

Trip generation .................................................................................................................. 2

2.2.

Trip Distribution and Assignment ................................................................................... 2

3.

Data......................................................................................................................................... 2

3.1.

Existing Traffic Volumes and Analysis ........................................................................... 2

3.2.

Land Use............................................................................................................................. 3

Sue McNeil PhD PE

3.3.

Trip Generation ................................................................................................................. 3

Director

3.4.

Trip Distribution and Assignment ................................................................................... 4

4.

Assumptions ......................................................................................................................... 10

5.

Results................................................................................................................................... 10

6.

Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 10

7.

References ............................................................................................................................ 11

Whiting Land Use Plan Traffic Analysis

Urban Transportation Center University of Illinois at Chicago 312 996 9818 mcneil@uic.edu

P.S. Sriraj PhD Research Assistant Professr

Supplemental Figures A. Development Scenarios .................................................................... 11 Supplemental Figures B. Key Intersections .............................................................................. 12

Urban Transporation Center 312 413 7568 sriraj@uic.edu June 8, 2005

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UICUIC City CenterUIC Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Page of DESIGN 14 CENTER DESIGN CENTER CITYDesign DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER Plan UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC1CITY CENTER UICAppendix CITY DESIGN C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN 79 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

2.2.

Trip Distribution and Assignment

1. INTRODUCTION The traffic impacts resulting from the land use plan developed by the University of Illinois at Chicago were analyzed using traffic count data from Friday May 27, 2005 based on procedures commonly used for site traffic impact analysis. This report documents the process, the data used, the results and recommendations.

Based on knowledge of the local area we distribute trips to destination and assign them to specific roads in Whiting. Traffic assignment is fairly straightforward when the street network is not at capacity, as users will take the shortest path.

3. DATA 3.1.

2. TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS AND ASSUMPTIONS

Existing Traffic Volumes and Analysis

Procedures for undertaking a site traffic impact analysis based on a land use plan for the

Traffic counts at key locations were made on Friday, May 27 between 1:30pm and 3:30pm. As

development of specific sites are well documented and can be found in transportation engineering

this was a holiday weekend, traffic was heavy but not atypical of afternoon peak-period traffic.

textbooks such as Khisty and Lall (2003) or Fricker and Whitford (2004). The procedures are

Table 1 summarizes the 15-minute count data and the number of lanes. Count locations are

based on the traditional four step transportation planning – generation, distribution, mode choice

shown in Figure 1.

and assignment. A site traffic impact analysis makes use of assumptions to simplify the mode choice and assignment steps of the analysis.

The analysis is typically conducted for the morning and evening peak hour or other period

Table 1 - Traffic Count Data

Location

Street Name

Lane Configuration

Direction

A

Indianapolis Blvd

2

SE

recognized to create a worst-case scenario. In our case we conduct the analysis for the afternoon

Time (startfinish)

1:38-1:53 - 15 138 min.

A Indianapolis Blvd 2 NW 2:37-2:52 - 15 106 min. assumptions.

B 119th @ Clark 1+ East 1:18-1:33 - 15 53 parking min.

We focus on “build out”. This means we hypothesize what the traffic impacts might be once all B 119th @ Clark 1+ West 1:18-1:33 - 15 62 sites have been developed and are fully operational. parking min.

C 121st between New York and ?

East 2:33-2:48 - 15 11 White Oak min.

2.1. Trip generation C 121st between New York and ?

West 2:33-2:48 - 15 13 White Oak min.

Trip generation represents the number of trips entering and exiting each site. We draw on data D Front Street between 119th and 1+ North 3:05-3:20 - 15 12 Standard parking min. from Sosslau (1978) as reported in Khisty and Lall (2003) that provides trip generation rates th E Front Street between 119 and 1 South 3:05-3:20 - 15 11 (trips per unit of development) for different types of development on the basis of footprint, land Standard min.

E Schrage @ John 1+ North 2:35-250 - 15 32 area or employees, and the percent of trips in the peak hour. In this case we assume vehicle parking min. occupancy of one and no transit.

E Schrage @ John 1+ South 2:35-2:50 - 15 31 parking min.

F Schrage @ Steiber 1+ North 3:02-3:17 - 15 31 parking min.

F Schrage @ Steiber 1+ South 3:02-3:17 - 15 55 parking min.

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNWhiting CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN UIC City Design Center Commercial Redevelopment Plan PageCENTER 2 of 14UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC2CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D Appendix C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE 1 peak hour and infer what morning peak period conditions might be. Other assumptions are also made to reinforce this “worst-case scenario”. This section documents the process and the

80

Traffic Count

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

Inspection of the data in Table 1 indicates that there are clearly no capacity issues and considering

3.2.

Land Use

development scenarios is feasible. That is there appears to be adequate reserve capacity for Two land use plans have been developed and are analyzed in this report. These are described as:

development.

I. Maximum Return, Best Use, II. Least Resistance, Least Cost.

The locations of the developments are shown in Appendix A and the development density is shown in Table 2 and Table 3.

3.3.

Trip Generation

Using trip generation rates and peak distribution rates as shown in Table 4 (Khisty and Lall, 2002), we determine the largest traffic volume generated for each of the sites for each scenario as shown in Table 5. Also using the trip generation rates for a marina generates more trips than boat A

D

B E

storage. In all cases we chose the highest trip distribution rates for the available land use.

In this analysis we are assuming that the recreational activities generate traffic during off-peak hours. As no generation rates are available for the municipal parking and water filtration plant

C

we will need to make some judgments. We assume each vehicle (based on 50 spaces) will enter F

and leave the lot during the peak hour.

Table 2 - Scenario I. Maximum, Best Use

Sites: a) Passive open space

Acres Footprint (sq ft) Employees

b) Light Industry

3.00

10.45

Parking Spaces

-

-

50,000

100

167

c) Heavy Industry

7.50

225,000

100

150

d) Boat Storage

5.00

196,020

10

45

e) Main Street Retail

1.50

14,000

35

70

f) Passive Open Space

3.00

-

-

g) Baseball diamond h) Municipal Fleet Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

3.00

-

-

5

50

i) & j) Bike Trail & Park

1.50

-

-

k) Offices

3.50

375

188

l) Boulevard Retail Totals

3.50

4.50 46.45

75,000

60,000

150

300

775.00

970.00

Figure 1 – Whiting Traffic Count Sites UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CityUIC Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNPage 3 ofUIC14 3 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY 4 DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN Appendix C UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN 81 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER

CITY DESIGN CENTER

Table 5 - Trips Generated

Table 3 - Scenario II. Least Resistance, Least Cost

a) Passive open space b) Main Street Retail

10.45 1.00

c) Light Industry

1.00

10,000

Parking Spaces

25

50

33

56

d) Light Industry

1.00

33

56

e) Boat Storage f) Municipal Fleet Parking and New Water Filtration Plant g) Passive Open Space

10.00

392,040

15

50

5.50

75,000

5

50

3.00

-

-

h) Baseball diamond

3.00

-

-

i) Light Industry

2.50

83

138

j) & k) Bike Trail & Park

1.50

-

-

l) Offices

3.50

375

188

m) Boulevard Retail

2.50

Totals

44.95

35,000

88

175

656.50

763.00

Table 4 - Trip Generation Rates per Unit of Development and Peak Distribution Land Use

Acre

1000 sq ft GFA

Employees

PM Peak

Light Industry

52.4

5.5

3.00

19.4%

Heavy Industry

71.9

Boat Storage/ Marina

18.5

Main Street Retail Offices Boulevard Retail

-

8.8 97

3.90

14.7%

259.00

5.0%

-

11.5%

33

25

61.00

11.4%

1000

135.3

-

8.7%

Maximum Trips Generated

PM Peak

b) Light Industry

300

19.4%

58.2

c) Heavy Industry

1,980

14.7%

291.06

d) Boat Storage

2,590

5.0%

129.5

e) Main Street Retail

1,358

11.5%

156.17

Sites: a) Passive open space Scenario 1) Maximum, Best Use

Acres Footprint (sq ft) Employees

Scenario II) Least Cost, Least Resistance

Sites:

PM Peak Trips

f) Passive Open Space

-

-

g) Baseball diamond

-

-

h) Municipal Fleet Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

-

-

i) & j) Bike Trail & Park

-

-

k) Offices

22,875

11.4%

2607.75

l) Boulevard Retail

8,118

8.7%

706.266

a) Passive open space b) Main Street Retail

970

11.5%

111.55

c) Light Industry

99

19.4%

19.206

d) Light Industry

99

19.4%

19.206

e) Boat Storage

3,885

5.0%

194.25

f) Municipal Fleet Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

-

0

g) Passive Open Space

-

0

h) Baseball diamond i) Light Industry j) & k) Bike Trail & Park

249

0 19.4%

48.306

-

0

l) Offices

22,875

11.4%

2607.75

m) Boulevard Retail

4,736

8.7%

411.9885

3.4.

Trip Distribution and Assignment

Based on our knowledge of the street network and behavior of users, we distribute the trips in terms as “in” and “out” trips as shown in Table 6. The trip generation rates and distribution of in and out trips for the office development reflects a service focus that typically generates more trips than an environment in which workers arrive in the morning and leave in the evening.

These trips are then distributed to specific sites where we have already collected the count data.

The number of trips for each land use and the distributions to the sites is shown in Table 7, Table

8, Table 9 and Table 10. DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY 5 UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER 6 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CityUIC Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER 4 of CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNPage CENTER UIC14 CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D 82 Appendix UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE C

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

Using the trip generated and the distribution and assignment strategies outlined, the actual traffic at each of the count sites for each scenario is summarized in Table 11. The distribution of trips to destinations assumes that a majority of the employees do not live in Whiting but will use Indianapolis Boulevard to travel north or south. Individuals will travel to Indianapolis Boulevard by the shortest route rather than use local streets.

Table 6 - Distribution of In and Out Trips for pm Peak Land Use

In

Out

Light Industry Heavy Industry

0.05 0.05

0.95 0.95

Boat Storage/ Marina

0.50

0.50

Main Street Retail

0.50

0.50

Offices

0.40

0.60

Boulevard Retail

0.50

0.50

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CityUIC Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNPage 5 of DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UIC14 CITY DESIGN CENTER 7 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN Appendix C 83 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

l) Boulevard Retail

k) Offices

i) & j) Bike Trail & Park

h) Municipal Fleet Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

g) Baseball diamond

f) Passive Open Space

e) Main Street Retail

d) Boat Storage

c) Heavy Industry

b) Light Industry

a) Passive open space

Traffic Count (15 mins)

Indianapolis Blvd

SE

138

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.1

0.4

0.1

Indianapolis Blvd

NW

106

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.1

0.4

0.1

119th @ Clark

East

53

119th @ Clark

West 62

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.4

0.7

0.1 0.4

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.1

st

East

st

121 between New York and White Oak

West 13

Front Street between 119th and Standard

North 12

0.4

0.4

Front Street between 119 and Standard

South 11

0.4

0.4

Schrage @ John

North 32

Schrage @ John

South 31

0.5

Schrage @ Steiber

North 31

0.1

Schrage @ Steiber

South 55

121 between New York and White Oak

th

OUT TRAFFIC (trips)

84

Direction

Street Name

Table 7 - Distribution of Trips to Sites – Scenario I, Traffic Going Out from Sites

11

0.7

0.2

0.1 0.1

0

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.2

55

277

65

78

0.5

0.8

0.2 0

0

50

0.4 0

1565

353

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC City Design Center Commercial Redevelopment Plan PageCENTER 6 of 14UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNWhiting CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER 8 UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D Appendix C UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

l) Boulevard Retail

k) Offices

i) & j) Bike Trail & Park

h) Municipal Fleet Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

g) Baseball diamond

f) Passive Open Space

e) Main Street Retail

d) Boat Storage

c) Heavy Industry

b) Light Industry

a) Passive open space

Traffic Count (15 mins)

Direction

Street Name

Table 8 - Distribution of Trips to Sites - Scenario I, Traffic Coming Into Site

Indianapolis Blvd

SE

138

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.1

0.4

0.1

Indianapolis Blvd

NW

106

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.1

0.4

0.1

119th @ Clark

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.1

0.2 0.7

East

53

th

West

62

0.1

st

121 between New York and White Oak

East

11

0.3

121st between New York and White Oak

West

13

Front Street between 119th and Standard

North

12

0.4

0.4

Front Street between 119th and Standard

South

11

0.4

0.4

Schrage @ John

North

32

Schrage @ John

South

31

Schrage @ Steiber

North

31

Schrage @ Steiber

South

55

119 @ Clark

IN TRAFFIC

0.2

0.1 0.1

0.7

0.2

0.3 0.5

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.5

0.4

0.2

0.2

0.4

0.1 0

3

15

65

78

0

0

50

0.8 0

1043 353

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UICUIC City CenterUIC Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Page of DESIGN 14 CENTER DESIGN CENTER CITYDesign DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER Plan UIC UIC7CITY 9 CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UICAppendix CITY DESIGN C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN 85 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

l) Offices m) Boulevard Retail

j) & k) Bike Trail & Park

i) Light Industry

h) Baseball diamond

g) Passive Open Space

e) Boat Storage Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

d) Light Industry

c) Light Industry

b) Main Street Retail

a) Passive open space

Traffic Count (15 mins)

Indianapolis Blvd

SE

138

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.4

0.4

0.1

Indianapolis Blvd

NW 106

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.4

0.4

0.1

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.4

0.7

th

119 @ Clark

East 53

119th @ Clark

West 62

121st between New York and White Oak

East 11

0.1

121st between New York and White Oak

West 13

0.3

Front Street between 119th and Standard

North 12

0.4

0.4

0.4

Front Street between 119th and Standard

South 11

0.4

0.4

0.4

Schrage @ John

North 32

0.5

Schrage @ John

South 31

0.5

Schrage @ Steiber

North 31

0.1

Schrage @ Steiber

South 55

OUT TRAFFIC

86

Direction

Street Name

Table 9 - Distribution of Trips to Sites – Scenario II, Traffic Going Out from Sites

0.1 0.4

0

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.7

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.2

56

18

18

97

50

0.4 0.8 0.4 0

0

46

0.4 0

1565 206

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC City Design Center Commercial Redevelopment Plan PageCENTER 8 of 14UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNWhiting CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER 10 UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D Appendix C UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

l) Offices m) Boulevard Retail

j) & k) Bike Trail & Park

i) Light Industry

h) Baseball diamond

g) Passive Open Space

e) Boat Storage Parking and New Water Filtration Plant

d) Light Industry

c) Light Industry

b) Main Street Retail

a) Passive open space

Traffic Count (15 mins)

Direction

Street Name

Table 10 - Distribution of Trips to Sites – Scenario II, Traffic Going Into Sites

Indianapolis Blvd

SE

138

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.4

0.4

0.1

Indianapolis Blvd

NW 106

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.4

0.4

0.1

119th @ Clark

East 53

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.4

0.7

th

West 62

0.1

st

121 between New York and White Oak

East 11

0.3

121st between New York and White Oak

West 13

0.1

Front Street between 119th and Standard

North 12

0.4

0.4

0.4

Front Street between 119 and Standard

South 11

0.4

0.4

0.4

Schrage @ John

North 32

0.5

Schrage @ John

South 31

0.5

Schrage @ Steiber

North 31

Schrage @ Steiber

South 55

119 @ Clark

th

IN TRAFFIC

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.7

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.2

0.4

0.4

0.1 0

56

1

1

97

50

0.8 0

0

2

0

1043 206

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UICUIC City CenterUIC Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Page of DESIGN 14 CENTER DESIGN CENTER CITYDesign DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER Plan UIC UIC9CITY 11CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UICAppendix CITY DESIGN C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN 87 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

Table 11 - Existing Traffic and Trips Generated from Development TOTAL (in, out, existing) Vehicles per hour (pm peak) Existing SCENARIO SCENARIO Street Name Direction (Vehicles per hour) I II Indianapolis Blvd SE 552 1870 1743 Indianapolis Blvd NW 424 1742 1615 119th @ Clark East 212 805 702 119th @ Clark West 248 1175 978 121st between New York and White Oak East 44 394 273 121st between New York and White Oak West 52 506 385 Front Street between 119th and Standard North 48 496 362 Front Street between 119th and Standard South 44 440 297 Schrage @ John North 128 1059 804 Schrage @ John South 124 846 610 Schrage @ Steiber North 124 881 609 Schrage @ Steiber South 220 1311 945

5. RESULTS The results in Table 11 suggest that the proposed developments will significantly increase traffic in Whiting and change the free flow conditions currently existing in the peak to a more congested situation. With some minor modifications related to eliminating parking near intersections, retiming signals and making some minor improvements, the additional traffic can be accommodated. Reviewing the trip generation data, the most significant generator of traffic is the office development. Because we are assuming the majority of this traffic goes through Whiting and leaves the village, we are creating a worst-case scenario. Using the data in Table 11 and inferring data on turning movements, we explore specific intersections. The sketches in Appendix B summarize the key intersections.

The sketches clearly indicate that the traffic impacts in Scenario II will be significantly less than Scenario I.

4. ASSUMPTIONS This section summarizes the assumptions made. These assumptions are as follows:

6. RECOMMENDATIONS For both scenarios, build out will stress the intersections of 119th Street and Indianapolis

•

Build out has occurred. All sites are fully developed and activity is occurring.

•

There is no transit and no ridesharing. Auto occupancy is 1 person per vehicle.

•

Trip generation rates were selected to represent the most intense use of the site consistent

Indianapolis Boulevard will help the flow. It is also likely that two left-hand turn lanes (one

with the designated land use.

shared with right turn and straight ahead) on southbound Indianapolis Boulevard will be required

Boulevard, and Schrage and Indianapolis Boulevard. At the intersections of 119th Street and Indianapolis Boulevard consideration should be given to reconfiguring the westbound approach on 119th Street to allow for two right-hand turn lanes. Also providing a merge lane on

to support the morning peak period although access via 121st is feasible. Cleveland Ave also •

The distribution of trips entering and exiting any site represents a realistic breakdown but

complicates the intersection. Limiting access to or from Cleveland is also a possibility.

is intended to generate a “peak hour focus”.

At the intersection of Schrage and Indianapolis Boulevard, two left turn lanes southbound on •

The distribution of trips to destinations assumes that the majority of employees do not

Schrage should be considered.

live in Whiting but will use Indianapolis Boulevard to travel north or south.

The intersection of Schrage and 119th also warrants additional exploration. Planning level •

•

88

Individuals will travel to Indianapolis Boulevard by the shortest route rather than use

analysis suggests that the signal can function but limiting parking in the vicinity of the

local streets.

intersection is important.

The analysis focuses on the afternoon peak period, as this is typically the time when

This sketch planning analysis should not be used to justify improvements or construction.

conditions are worst.

Addition data and analysis is required including: UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC City Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan Page 10 of 14 12 DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY 13 DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY Appendix C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

Supplemental Figures A - Development Scenarios •

Twenty-four hour counts on Indianapolis Boulevard, 119th, and Schrage Ave.

•

Detailed intersection turning movements and signal timings at 119th Street and Indianapolis Boulevard and Schrage and Indianapolis Boulevard.

•

Analysis of the intersection of Schrage and 119th.

•

Morning peak data.

7. REFERENCES Fricker, Jon and Robert Whitford, Fundamentals of Transportation Engineering: A Multimodal Systems Approach, Peason Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2004.

Khisty, Jotin and B. Kent Lall, Transportation Engineering: An Introduction, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Third Edition, 2003.

Sosslau A.B. et al, Quick Response Urban Travel Esimtation Techniques and Transferable Parameters: User’s Guide, Report 198, Transportation Research Board, Washington DC, 1978.

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UICUIC City CenterUIC Whiting Commercial Redevelopment PageUIC 11CITY of DESIGN 14 CENTER DESIGN CENTER CITYDesign DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER Plan UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UICAppendix CITY DESIGN C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN 89 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

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Supplemental Figures B - Key Intersections

90

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC City Design Center Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan Page 12 of 14 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D Appendix C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UICUIC City CenterUIC Whiting Commercial Redevelopment PageUIC 13CITY of DESIGN 14 CENTER DESIGN CENTER CITYDesign DESIGN CENTER CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER Plan UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER CENTER UICAppendix CITY DESIGN C CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN 91 CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN

CITY DESIGN CENTER

92

UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE UIC City Design Center Commercial Redevelopment Plan of 14UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGNWhiting CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY Page DESIGN14 CENTER CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY D Appendix C UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CENTER UIC CITY DESIGN CE

CITY OF WHITING COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT PLAN