Merrillville planners defer developer’s request for fifth extension

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Shawn Pettit, Merrillville town council President, addresses guests during the State of the Region luncheon on Thursday, February 16, 2012 inside the Maki Ballroom at the Old Courthouse, in Crown Point. | Scott R. Brandush~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 23, 2012 8:19AM

MERRILLVILLE — The Plan Commission on Tuesday deferred action on a fifth extension request for a proposed 62-acre development at 101st Avenue and Colorado Street, saying the property is facing possible foreclosure.

Zoning director Dorinda Gregor had received a letter from Merrillville attorney Gerold Stout asking that the request from Deep River Development LLC be deferred until the commission’s April 3 meeting.

Stout said he would meet with Gregor before then to learn what has transpired with the project over the years. That way, Stout said, his clients, LaSalle 115 Holdings LLC, will be better able to decide how to proceed.

Gregor also said Council President Shawn Pettit, D-6th, was leery of granting another extension on the project.

The development, which would include 38 single-family homes, 38 cottage homes, 20 paired villas and four, eight-unit buildings, was first approved by the Plan Commission in July 2006 and the Town Council in August 2006. The developers asked for a six-month extension in January 2008, citing the poor economy, and have since asked for four one-year extensions, always citing the poor housing climate in Northwest Indiana and across the country.

Gregor said if the extension is not granted, the land would revert back to agricultural zoning.

Councilwoman Chrissy Barron, D-5th, said she also wants to talk to Pettit, whose ward the property is in, to see if he wants to retain apartments in the plan.

“If we don’t extend the project, not only will we be starting over, but I’m not willing to lift the moratorium on apartments either,” Barron said.

The Town Council last summer voted that the Plan Commission shouldn’t grant any more requests for R-5 or R-4 multifamily units.

In other matters, the commission also deferred voting on a Proposed Even Distribution Ordinance, which would ensure no area of town is saturated with one type of residential zoning, multifamily in particular; commission members said they need input from the commission’s attorney. Plan Commission attorney William Touchette was not at Tuesday’s meeting.

Commission member Brian Dering presented a draft of an ordinance, whose goal, he said, was to recognize there are a disproportionate number of multifamily dwellings in certain areas of town and to make sure no more apartments are approved in those areas.

Barron, whose ward has a large number of apartment buildings, also said she wants to see changes in the zoning map to eliminate some of the R-5 high-density residential zoning.

“I think the zoning map is so old and outdated. R-5 is a very high density,” she said.

Gregor said the zoning map was last reviewed in 2005, when some changes were made.