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Hammond Planning Commission forwards rezoning of River North parcels to City Council after resident concerns
Summary
The Hammond Planning Commission voted 9-0 to forward a petition to rezone property in the River North subarea from C-1 to C-4 and adopted the staff report as a preliminary finding; a nearby resident raised concerns about light, noise, privacy and demolition controls during the public hearing.
The Hammond Planning Commission on May 19 voted 9-0 to forward a petition from the Board of Public Works and Safety to reclassify property in the River North subarea from C‑1 (local commercial) to C‑4 (general commercial) and adopted the staff report as a preliminary finding of fact.
The rezoning petition covers city‑owned parcels south of the Borman Expressway west of Calumet Avenue — a site previously occupied by the Indiana Botanical Gardens and known locally as the “haunted house” site — and is intended to prepare the parcels for an upcoming request for proposals (RFP) under the Gateway Redevelopment Area’s River North subarea expansion plan.
The change to C‑4 zoning would make the parcels eligible for the full set of permitted and conditional uses allowed in the C‑4 district; staff said the city will target office, retail or hotel uses in an RFP rather than specifying a single development now. "The C‑4 zoning does open up all of the permitted and conditional uses that are found in the four commercial zoning districts," a city staff representative said during the meeting.
During the required public hearing, resident Kevin Campo of 633 River Drive told the commission his neighborhood currently enjoys a quiet residential character and raised several concerns if the site is redeveloped: light spillover, noise from HVAC equipment or delivery trucks, privacy impacts because "our bedroom window basically looks into their second floor," and dust and asbestos risks during demolition. Campo asked that the commission consider protections for the residential neighborhood to the south.
City staff responded that the zoning ordinance contains light‑control standards (measured at three foot‑candles at the property line) and landscape requirements; staff also said demolition will follow statutory asbestos removal procedures and that the city's environmental management division oversees permitting and environmental compliance. Staff noted an existing easement and Army Corps of Engineers requirements protect the integrity of the levee adjacent to the site and restrict construction within the easement.
Commissioner Marcus Taylor moved to forward the petition to the Hammond City Council with a favorable recommendation; the motion was seconded by Councilman Spitali and passed by roll call, 9 ayes, 0 nays. The commission then moved and approved adoption of the staff report as a preliminary finding of fact, also by a 9‑0 vote.
A council sponsorship detail was discussed at the meeting: staff said they had asked Councilman Emerson to sponsor the rezoning ordinance but had not received a response; Councilman Spitali agreed to be listed as sponsor if Emerson does not respond before routing to council.
Next steps noted by staff: the rezoning petition will be transmitted to the Hammond City Council for ordinance consideration, and the city intends to issue an RFP to solicit development proposals for the River North parcels. No funding commitments or development contracts were authorized by the commission at this meeting.
The commission’s record of the item includes the petition number CP25‑03 and references to the River North subarea expansion of the Gateway Redevelopment Area.
