Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
LaPorte County pivots to direct outreach as Kingsbury Industrial Park owners slow conveyances
Loading...
Summary
County redevelopment staff said they will meet landowners directly and bring surveyors to resolve roadway ownership questions at Kingsbury Industrial Park, aiming to secure voluntary conveyances so roads can be upgraded and dedicated to the county; a marketing video funded by a NIPSCO drone grant will be paired with an action plan next month.
President Adam Koronka opened the Nov. 12 meeting of the LaPorte County Redevelopment Commission by announcing routine business and the appointment of a new member, then moved the agenda to project updates.
Matt Reardon, a principal with MCR Partners, told commissioners that Kingsbury Industrial Park (KIP) work has stalled because many landowners remain unclear or hesitant about roadway deeds and access. Reardon said staff will shift to a more direct approach: meeting with majority landowners in person and bringing the project surveyor to answer technical questions, with the aim of obtaining quit‑claim deeds or other voluntary conveyances that would allow the county to upgrade roads to county standards and accept them for public use.
Reardon said the county has previously treated some KIP roads as public ways without a formal legal process to codify ownership, creating complications when commissioners consider allocating public funds for improvements. He said attempts to resolve the issue without condemnation have largely failed; securing agreements with larger landowners could create momentum for smaller owners to cooperate.
Attorney Guy DiMartino, representing the commission, confirmed that staff expect the process to require legal and surveying clarity before the county will expend funds to improve private property. He said the alternative—private developers rehabilitating roads to county standards and then transferring them—would be preferable but may not be realistic in most cases.
Reardon also introduced a Kingsbury marketing video produced with funding from a NIPSCO grant aimed at drone projects. Reardon credited Mary Jane Thomas and others for securing the grant. Carlton Bishop, LaPorte County Business Retention Manager, told the commission an action marketing plan and updated website will be presented at the Dec. 10 meeting; Brett Kessler asked that the video highlight the 80/90 Toll Road in addition to I‑94, which Reardon agreed to include.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the conveyance strategy at the Nov. 12 meeting; staff said they will return with more concrete proposals and affected‑owner lists for future action.
Next step: staff will conduct targeted meetings with major landowners, bring survey support to those meetings and present a marketing action plan at the Dec. 10 meeting.