Mayor spotlights downtown surge as South Shore trains near service and new projects arrive
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Summary
Hammond’s mayor told residents that the South Shore Line will begin rolling March 31 and highlighted private and public investments downtown — from Purdue’s Roberts Impact Lab to a repurposed bank, a Riverfront District ordinance and upcoming station construction — saying the projects signal sustained economic momentum.
Mayor (speaker 1) told a packed Mayor’s Night Out that Hammond’s downtown is seeing renewed momentum driven by a combination of transit investment and private redevelopment.
“Finally, March 31, the trains are going to start rolling on that day,” the mayor said, describing the South Shore Line expansion and the Gateway Station as central pieces of the city’s recovery plan. He added that funds are in place and design is complete for a new Downtown Hammond station and that crews will begin work “next week.”
Why it matters: City officials said the train service and a cluster of development projects are meant to attract employers, residents and hospitality businesses back to downtown after the hospital closure. The mayor and economic-development staff credited Purdue Northwest’s Roberts Impact Lab and a nearby “quantum” node for bringing interest from large contractors and tech firms.
Dean Button, the city engineer, gave the project timeline for the downtown station: a roughly 15-month construction schedule with an expected completion date of June 30, 2027. “So it’s about 15 months,” Button said when asked about the schedule.
Economic-development director Juan J. Moreno described a steady stream of inbound interest. “The momentum is so strong… the phone’s always ringing off the hook,” Moreno said, adding that many companies are now contacting the city rather than the other way around.
The mayor also outlined several private redevelopment wins downtown: a historic bank building converted into 100 market-rate residential units that filled quickly; a newly opened drive-through banking and a venue space in the bank’s reserve; and a planned $25 million renovation of a former bank to housing and event space. He highlighted the Riverfront District ordinance, carried by the district councilman, which creates restaurant-attached liquor licenses intended to lower the cost barrier for new downtown restaurants.
Officials said other projects in or near downtown include a $27 million renovation of Renaissance Towers, initial Columbia Park upgrades (bathrooms and pavilion) and a private plan to convert the longtime LaSalle Hotel into apartments with commercial space.
What’s next: Two ceremonies tied to the train project were noted — a ribbon cutting when trains begin running and a separate downtown groundbreaking. Officials said funding and designs are in place and that they plan a ceremonial groundbreaking tentatively the week after this meeting.
