Michigan City officials have unveiled an $ 80 million dollar downtown train station project that could help transform that city’s central business district. The public-private partnership would include more than 200 upscale apartments in a 12-story residential tower, built over a new central train station and parking garage that would be the mid-point on the South Shore Line between South Bend and downtown Chicago.
The project is a lynch pin of the South Shore’s $ 650 million ‘Double Track’ project that will speed up and streamline passenger rail traffic, hopefully making it more practical for daily commuters to and from downtown Chicago. Their optimistic estimate would put train time as 67 minutes each way from Michigan City to Chicago, once the double track project is completed.
The Michigan City project unveiled this week, with a working title of ‘11th Street Central’ would be a mix of residential, commercial and train station space, and would include a 558-space parking garage for South Shore Line riders. It would be located between 10th and 11th and Franklin and Pine Streets. The chosen developer is an Indianapolis firm, Flaherty & Collins, active in several Indiaana cities, including a $ 35 million apartment project in La Porte.
Flaherty & Collins Vice President Brian Collins said, “This project will be huge for the Region, attract and keep young professionals in Michigan City, and make it more attractive for existing employers and potential new employers.”
“Fasten your seat belts,” said Mayor Duane Parry in a statement. “We are catapulting Michigan City through the present, right into the future. Get ready, this partnership is driving the future of Northwest Indiana.”
Officials hope to begin construction next year, operate trains through the station in 2024 and complete the apartment tower in 2025. Stay tuned!
Image provided by City ol Michigan City
