Lake County seeking proposals for new convention center
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Officials in Lake County are moving forward with efforts to add a new convention center. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report the Lake County Board of Commissioners has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the project.
The RFP comes about two months after a study commissioned by the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority found that a new convention center could generate nearly $60 million for the local economy each year.
The commissioners will accept proposals from potential developers through Oct. 16.
“I’m hopeful that we get a number of qualified proposals to review, and October should be an adequate amount of time for companies to put together proposals. I look forward to seeing what happens,” Commissioner Jerry Tippy said during the board’s meeting on Wednesday.
A law approved by the Indiana General Assembly and signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb last year gives the county until June 1, 2025 to select a developer.
Senate Enrolled Act 434 also provides up to $5 million in annual state matching funds for the convention center project, according to the publication.
The study recommended a 145,000-square-foot convention center with 73,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space, including an 18,000-square-foot ballroom. The venue could generate about 1,300 full-time, part-time and temporary construction jobs, boosting state and local tax revenues by more than $3.5 million per year, the study found.
The study also ranked 14 potential sites in Lake County for the project, with Patriot Park in Hobart topping the list. Northwest Indiana RDA CEO Sherri Ziller told Inside INdiana Business in March that she was not surprised by that revelation.
“They have the infrastructure already there, so that would cut costs a lot. There’s nothing to demo there. Mayor Josh Huddlestun has huge plans for that site, and it is somewhat privately owned, too,” she said. “There’s light industrial and retail and even a sports complex type of situation. They want to attract someone like a Topgolf, and in there, there is room for a convention center. It’s close to retail. It’s close to restaurants. It’s close to Chicago. It’s close to transit. It’s close to a major expressway.”
The Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary was the No. 2 recommended site in the study, followed by Century Mall in Merrillville, the former Raddison at Star Plaza site in Merrillville, and Kennedy Avenue and I-94 in Hammond.
The Times reports the commissioners must hold a series of public hearings to evaluate the proposals after the RFP deadline. The county has until Jan. 1, 2028 to begin work on the project.