$80M Mixed-Use Project Announced for Michigan City
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Plans for an $80 million mixed-use development have been unveiled in Michigan City. The 11th Street Central project is expected to revitalize a portion of the city’s downtown in conjunction with a major overhaul for the South Shore Line.
The city is developing the project in partnership with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and Indianapolis-based Flaherty & Collins Properties.
Plans call for a 12-story high-rise that will include residential apartments, commercial space, parking and a new train station for the South Shore Line.
The NICTD says the project works in conjunction with the $649 million Double Track project, which will add a second rail track parallel to the existing track.
“The Double Track improvements will make Michigan City an easy 67-minute commute from downtown Chicago. With the additional trains that will be added and the reduction in travel time to and from Chicago, we expect to more than triple our daily ridership out of Michigan City,” said South Shore Line President Michael Noland.
The public-private partnership is a Joint Development, as defined by the U.S. Federal Transit Administration. It allows for a private developer to undertake a public project, in this case the train station and garage, while meeting NICTD standards.
Flaherty & Collins will develop the entire city block bounded by 10th and 11th Streets on the north and south sides, and Franklin and Pine Streets on the west and east.
“This project will be huge for the region, attract and keep young professionals in Michigan City, and making it more attractive for existing employers and potential new employers,” said Brian Prince, vice president of development at Flaherty & Collins Properties. “It will have a tremendous impact on the community, with over an estimated $150 million economic impact in the first 5 years.”
The partners plan to break ground in the summer of 2023 and have the new passenger station open by May of 2024. They said apartments would be complete by spring of 2025.
