Developer pitches 579-unit proposal near 70 Third Avenue; Merrillville leaders flag multi-million-dollar road and bridge needs

Lawrence Benjamin, a property owner, presented a development layout for land near 70 Third Avenue and Interstate 65 that commission members said could include 312 apartments, 88 single-family homes and additional townhomes — a total the chair stated as 579 units.

Commission members said the proposal is residential and less industrial than a previously proposed Trammell Crow plan, but they raised immediate concerns about how the added units would affect local roads and a nearby bridge. The chair said any significant development there would likely require work on 70 Third Avenue and the adjacent bridge and suggested the Redevelopment Commission could be asked to consider widening the approach to three or four lanes.

Commissioners discussed cost precedent and funding approaches. The chair referenced the previous Hundred First Avenue bridge project, which he said cost about $8 million before the COVID-19 pandemic, and estimated a similar project now could be in the $8 million to $12 million range. Commissioners discussed the possibility of capturing tax-increment revenue from nearby developments, including buildings by Crow Holdings, to support debt service for such a project.

No formal motion or vote was taken at the special meeting; the chair said the item would be discussed further under "other business" and would be seen again by the planning commission and possibly returned to the Redevelopment Commission if redevelopment actions or conditions are needed.

Commissioners also noted that any substantial development would require work on 70 Third Avenue and the bridge, and that the town must decide whether to require developers to pay for approach improvements as a condition of approval. The discussion did not settle on any commitments or a schedule.