Valparaiso Plan Commission approves replat and alley vacation to clear way for sale of Bonta Center

VALPARAISO, Ind. — The Valparaiso Plan Commission voted Feb. 3 to approve a replat of Block 2 (605 Beach Street) and to vacate two alley segments within the block, clearing the way for the planned sale of the Bonta Center and the buyer’s proposed conversion of the building into private housing.

Tristan, the city’s acting park director, told the commission the parks department issued a request for proposals in 2025 and received a single response from the Welter family proposing conversion of the building “into 7 individual living units.” He said the RFP included conditions requiring that the existing building not be demolished, that Valpo Parks retain ownership of the northern park, playground and green space, and that senior programming continue uninterrupted for up to five years, subject to rezoning.

The replat and alley-vacation requests are part of the same project to subdivide parkland from the building parcel and to clarify utility and access easements. Tristan said the proposed replat assigns the northern park a new address, 607 Greenwood Street, and keeps utility easements in place along the south end of the block so that utilities and parking access for the neighborhood park are preserved.

City staff told commissioners the alley-vacation petition must be forwarded to the Board of Public Works for a recommendation and then to City Council for a public hearing. Staff member Thompson said the Board of Public Works will hear the recommendation on Feb. 13 and that City Council will hold the required public hearing in late February.

Chair Matt opened the public hearing at the start of the agenda item but said no members of the public spoke before he closed the hearing. A commissioner moved to suspend the rule requiring two meetings before acting so that both items could be decided tonight; the suspension motion passed in a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript as 8–0.

Before the votes on the replat and the alley vacation, Chair Matt announced he would recuse himself “from this portion of the vote” because of a relationship with the Balboa Parks Foundation. After the recusal announcement, a commission member moved to approve RP26-001 (the replat) and the motion was seconded; the motion passed (the transcript records the outcome as "Motion carries 60"). The commission then voted to approve VAC26-001 (the alley vacation); that motion also passed (transcript: "Motion carries 60").

The commission’s action tonight follows earlier land-use approvals: the Planning Commission recommended rezoning the property to Urban Residential on Nov. 4, 2025 (7–0), and City Council completed the rezoning in December with unanimous votes.

Next steps are administrative: the alley-vacation petition will proceed to the Board of Public Works for recommendation and then back to City Council for final consideration. Staff emphasized that the RFP conditions limit Park Department actions: the northern park, playground and green space will remain under Valpo Parks’ control and senior programming is to continue for up to five years under the terms discussed tonight.

— Reported from the Feb. 3 meeting of the Valparaiso Plan Commission.