Portage Mayor Austin Bonta promised a new comprehensive plan for Portage when he ran for office in 2023, and now that process has begun.
A survey on the city’s website asks for residents’ input, and the first public gathering for detailed input is set for June 17.
Residents, businesses and community stakeholders are invited to three community meetings to gather public feedback and ideas.
The June 17 meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Woodland Park’s Oakwood Room, 2100 Willowcreek Road. Participants can expect to hear more about the process, data gathered so far, and what to expect in terms of public participation during the coming months.
“New growth trends, increasing development pressures and emerging economic opportunities require a fresh and comprehensive look at how the city plans for the future,” Scott Falk, of Wightman Consulting, said in a city news release. “Portage has evolved considerably since 2009,” when the last comprehensive plan was drafted.
Falk noted significant changes in the population of Northwest Indiana’s third-largest city, along with development patterns and economic conditions.
Wightman Consulting, along with Arsh Group, is developing the new plan.
Arsh Group’s Taghi Arshami emphasized the importance of community input in shaping the plan. “The outcome will reflect the priorities and vision of Portage residents to enhance quality of life, strengthen community connections and ensure consistent services across the city,” he said.
Bonta said the comprehensive plan will take about a year to develop. Even before the public input process began, the consultants were mining data about the city to help shape the plan.
His vision for the city includes a walkable downtown, being built from the remnants of Portage Mall, and development of the city’s north side, where Bonta made a quick pitch for the Chicago Bears stadium that fell short of the goal line.
The city’s Redevelopment Commission is seeking proposals for that property.
Before the Bears stadium even became a dream, however briefly, the city already had plans that included extension of the Marquette Greenway and transit-oriented development near the South Shore Line station. A potential Indiana Dunes National Park inn is also a possibility.
Bonta wants that part of the city to get the kind of attention that other areas have.
Portage has been growing rapidly, with new subdivisions and businesses popping up, especially on the city’s south side.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved rezoning a small parcel for a future fire station south of U.S. 6 near Airport Road to address that growth.
The new comprehensive plan will look at the community as a whole, including land use patterns that have evolved and how they might need to change, what transportation needs should be addressed, how to make more livable neighborhoods with adequate amenities, what natural and other resources need to be protected and how to provide sustainable and well-managed future development.
Residents’ quality of life, city services and economic growth will be taken into account as well.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
