(La Porte, IN) - The march for more new housing in La Porte continued with ground breaking on Tuesday of a new section of a large subdivision that will grow the neighborhood by more than 20 percent.

 

The plans at Whispering Meadows calls for another 38 mostly three bedroom homes with basements and attached garages, which are similar to the ones that already exist. 

 

The subdivision has grown to about 150 homes since the first one was built in 2006.

 

LaPorte based developer Mitch Feikes said he expects all of the new single story homes to be constructed within the next three to four years based on current demand and recent slight drop in interest rates.

 

Feikes said the sale price for the homes will start at about $320,000.

 

“We’re just a local company putting out a good product,” he said.

 

The ground breaking occurred after construction began on 160 homes at Severs Road at Park Street.  Other residences have also been gone up since the push for more new housing began when Mayor Tom Dermody took office in 2020.

 

“We heard on day one of this administration we need housing, housing, housing.  We’ve seen it.  We have more to do and there’s going to be housing for everybody,” he said.

 

A 2022 study recommended the construction of more than 1,600 homes for sale and rent to modernize the housing stock in a community where 80 percent of the residences were constructed prior to 1980.

 

“This is a sizable development but it’s just a tip of the iceberg.  We got to continue to put units on the market,” said Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership.

 

Feikes said there’s enough ground at the subdivision to construct another 50 homes after the latest ones are built.