| "This is the poster child of what coastal management is supposed to be about in Indiana." | |
| Mike Molnar, Lake Michigan Coastal Program |
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Where heavy industry once dominated Indiana’s shoreline, there are now plans for parks and trails, setbacks and habitat restoration, and jobs and economic development. These plans are part of a unified long-range vision for the state’s 45-mile shoreline developed by coastal resource managers and a plethora of stakeholders.
"This is a huge accomplishment to have a comprehensive plan and vision for the entire coastal area," says Mike Molnar, program manager for the Lake Michigan Coastal Program in the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "This is the poster child of what coastal management is supposed to be about in Indiana."
Completed in two phases over four years, "The Marquette Plan: Indiana’s Lakeshore Reinvestment Strategy" outlines a plan for attracting economic opportunities to the state’s coastal communities, improving residents’ quality of life, and enhancing the region’s most valuable natural resource—Lake Michigan.
"This is really the recognition of the value the coastal area might have in our region’s future," notes John Swanson, executive director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, an area-wide planning agency that coordinated the plan’s second phase.
While phase two of the Marquette Plan only received final approval in February, the effort has already attracted local, state, and federal resources and has resulted in the development of the city of Portage’s new 60-acre, $6.8 million Lakefront Park complex, due for completion this fall. Restoration projects and trail developments also have been completed, or are in the works.
Industrial History
For most of the past century, Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline was one of the nation’s industrial centers, known predominantly for its steel production. While there is still an industrial presence in the region, it has declined, leaving many coastal communities stained by abandoned industrial sites.
Other coastal areas feature towering sand dunes, known for their recreational opportunities and rich biodiversity.
"Indiana has one of the most diverse shoreline areas that you will find among any coastal program," says Molnar. "We have a national park bordered on either side by steel mills, and there is a huge difference among community needs."
Long in Coming
The concept for the Marquette Plan was conceived in 1985 by U.S. Representative Peter Visclosky as a way to expand public shoreline access through redevelopment of idle industrial land using public–private partnerships.
But it wasn’t until shortly after the Lake Michigan Coastal Program received approval in September 2002 that Visclosky’s idea found traction, Molnar says.
"We’re a nonregulatory program, and we saw this as one way to get all the communities on board with a common vision," Molnar says. "The plan is nonbinding because we’re a home rule state, so it will be up to the local governments to take action and move it forward."
Phased In
For many reasons—geography, economics, politics—it made sense to split the coastline into two planning phases, Molnar says.
The key to both phases, he says, was "to see the region as one cohesive region united by a larger vision that leverages the collective strengths of Northwest Indiana’s communities."
To accomplish this and still meet all communities’ needs, three guiding principles were established. These goals were that 75 percent of the lakeshore should be open for free public use, new lakefront development projects should have a minimum setback of at least 200 feet, and a continuous biking and walking trail should be developed to connect lakefront communities.
Both phases relied on an extensive stakeholder involvement process that included a working group of community, political, and business leaders, as well as many public meetings and hearings.
One Down
For the first phase, which began in 2004, the coastal program used a $160,000 coastal grant to support the shore’s five largest communities—East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Portage, and Whiting—in the planning process. The city of Portage took on the project coordination responsibilities.
Completed in 2005, this first phase of the Marquette Plan calls for acquiring land no longer needed by industry and using it for public parkland, including a pedestrian and bicycle trail that will stretch from the Illinois state line to the eastern boundary of the city of Portage.
The state legislature created a Regional Development Authority in 2005 to help leverage and manage funding for the plan’s projects.
Different Issues
For phase two of the Marquette Plan, a different set of issues was identified for the much smaller communities along the shoreline from the city of Portage to the Michigan state line, Swanson says. This area is already largely in public ownership through the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and a state park, and there is active heavy industry.
The Port of Indiana is located there, power facilities are there," Swanson says. "There were many concerns about exercising eminent domain and regulations, as well as heavy truck traffic. We had to take these communities’ different needs into account from the onset."
On February 28, the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission unanimously adopted the plan’s second phase, which calls for improving existing public access, developing regional water trails, restoring habitat, and encouraging smart growth, such as mixed uses, says Jenny Orsburn, program specialist with the Lake Michigan Coastal Program.
Future Efforts
To further promote these local planning efforts, a poster is being developed that incorporates both phases of the Marquette Plan into a unified vision for the entire 45 miles of shoreline. Swanson says 4,000 posters will be seen in schools, libraries, town halls, and other public places.
Molnar says that although the congressman’s support was necessary to get the planning process going, its ultimate success rests with the residents and local civic, government, and business leaders who participated.
"The best thing about this process is it started the conversation between communities that had never talked to each other," says Orsburn. "Now there isn’t a meeting where Marquette isn’t brought up, mentioned, or discussed."
She adds, "The process combined the principles of natural resource protection, economic development, and a social framework. I believe these planning principles would transfer anywhere."
For more information about Phase II of the Marquette Plan, visit http://nirpc.org/NEWeconomic%20development/MarquettePlan/MP2PCTP.htm. You may also contact Mike Molnar at (317) 233-0132, or mmolnar@dnr.in.gov, or Jenny Orsburn at (219) 983-9912, or jorsburn@dnr.in.gov. You may also contact John Swanson at jswanson@nirpc.org.
