La Porte County, IN) - Facilities containing nearly 300,000 square feet of combined space for industrial use are now being planned along a stretch of Interstate 94 in La Porte County.

 

Great Lakes Capital is behind the estimated $29 million investment on a 33-acre site at the northeast quadrant of the Interstate 94 and U.S. 421 interchange.

 

Isaac Hall, a financial analyst with the Goshen-based development firm, said space in one of the buildings will be available to lease by smaller contractors and companies involved in warehousing, with a majority of the space meant for logistics or light manufacturing.

 

“We’ve done 15 plus of these developments across the Midwest,” he told the La Porte County Commissioners, who opened the door for the project Wednesday by changing the commercial zoning of the property to manufacturing at the developer’s request.

 

Construction of the concrete buildings is expected to begin in the spring.

 

Matt Reardon, Executive Director of the La Porte County Office of Economic Development, said the largest structure will contain about 200,000 square feet. The other 76,000 square foot building will be for smaller contractors and other businesses like a machine shop. Reardon spoke further, saying that the amount of space required by each company will be provided by the placement of walls on the inside of the structures where needed.

 

The site was chosen because of the advantages being close to Interstate 94 provide in delivering and receiving product.  Reardon also noted how demand is high for spec buildings, which are in short supply right now in the immediate area.  

 

“We do have a deficit in the market for this kind of space. When they go up, they seem to get filled up pretty quick. It’s what we’re looking for,” he said.

 

Reardon said marketing efforts to find tenants for the space will now begin since the zoning change recommended by the La Porte County Planning Commission was given final approval by the county commissioners.

 

There are still about 600 acres left for development at the interchange, which has a Loves Travel Center scheduled to open before the end of the month. The truck stop is at the southwest quadrant of the interchange near the former Waste Management Landfill.

 

Opening the door to its construction was the extension of municipal water and sewer lines beneath Interstate 94 to the site.

 

Reardon said the vision is for the interchange to mirror the aesthetically pleasing Ameriplex business park developments that have occurred along major highways at other locations. The one in Portage at Interstate 94 and Indiana 249, for example, is anchored by a Bass Pro Shops and contains a number of other businesses like McDonald's and other fast food restaurants.

 

“We want it to be clean and clear so that development looks orderly,” he said.

 

The Michigan City interchange has largely been underdeveloped, but that started changing when Franciscan Health opened its new $240 million hospital in the northwest quadrant early in 2019. A Hampton Inn & Suites recently went up on the northeast side of the interchange.

 

Reardon said he expects other developments similar to what was just approved will also go up at the interchange, judging by construction plans currently under review.

 

“There’s a proposal for more distribution opportunities, same kind of buildings,” he said.