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Development activity is hard to come by in this day and age, but Northwest Indiana has several large-scale projects that have been set in motion.

LifePlex Executive Park

South Bend, Ind.-based Holladay Properties has recently broken ground on an ambitious 40-acre business park at the intersection of I-94 and Highway 421 in Michigan City.

The development firm has partnered with LaPorte Regional Health Systems to build the $21 million LifePlex Executive Park. The mixed-use park will consist of several medical office buildings, a hotel, and restaurant pads. The first phase of the development will be a 24,000-square-foot medical office building with a targeted opening date of July 2011.

Holladay requested $2 million in tax incremental funding (TIF) and $4.6 million in federal stimulus bonds from LaPorte County to help finance the project, and intends to use $1 million of the TIF on the first phase of infrastructure.

Holladay has successfully developed similar projects including AmeriPlex Indianapolis, AmeriPlex at the Port in Portage, AmeriPlex at the Crossroads in Merrillville, and AmeriPlex Portage Prairie in South Bend.

MonoSol

Also in LaPorte County, The Ross Group is completing a 41,000-square-foot expansion for MonoSol, a global leader in water soluble packaging and products.

The Ross Group completed the firm’s current 39,000-square-foot facility two years ago.

According to Ross Pangere, president of Portage, Ind.-based The Ross Group, the first development was completed with the idea of future expansion in mind. The project includes expanding the company’s boiler room, water treatment room, loading dock and shipping area, using pre-engineered steel in the construction.

Monosol occupies a 16-acre site at 1609 Genesis Drive in LaPorte.

“The fact that we’re doubling the size in only two years is a strong statement about the future for sustainable product manufacturing,” said Pangere.

ICS Logistics

Just south of LaPorte is Kingsbury, Ind., where Florida-based ICS Logistics has plans for a reported $50 million cold storage facility.

The firm has plans to build a 500,000- square-foot distribution facility at the Kingsbury Industrial Park. The project would hinge on the park’s proximity to the CSX Railroad. ICS will move fruits and vegetables, and fish from Central America to Florida by boat, to then be transported via rail to Kingsbury. The produce would then be delivered to various locations throughout the Midwest by truck.

Empty trains will be loaded with Midwest product at Kingsbury and shipped back to Florida. The project has been estimated to create 135 permanent jobs with an average salary of $35,000.

Originally, the project was scheduled to come on line in 2011, but, according to Matt

Reardon, project manager for LaPorte County Alliance and SEH Consulting, the project is on hold while the firm waits for a better economic climate.

“We are still in negotiations with ICS Logistics,” says Reardon. “The funds are there, but they are waiting for private market to come through. Realistically, the project could begin in 2011.”

Reardon says that the county has approved $6 million and the state has approved $3 million for infrastructure work at the site.

U.S. Steel

United States Steel Corp. has plans for a massive investment in Gary Ind., where the steel giant hopes to develop four carbon alloy synthesis plants that will allow for environmentally safer production of traditional coke in the steelmaking process.

The new alloy, Cokonyx, will act as a substitute for 20 percent of the firm’s coke requirements. The methods of production of Cokonyx are designed to significantly cut down on harmful emissions that take place in the traditional production of coke.

By increasing the production of Cokonyx, U.S. Steel can shut down a portion of its coke manufacturing, reducing outputs of 3,000 tons of carbon monoxide and 907 tons of nitrogen oxides annually.

The price tag for the first phase of development is $220 million. The project is projected to create hundreds of temporary construction jobs. It still must meet approval from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Company spokesperson Courtney Boone says that phase one of the project would take 24-30 months to complete. After it is complete, the facility would be subject to testing before an additional two phases would be approved.

“The $220 million new coke project at U.S. Steel bodes well for the region,” says Don Babcock, director of economic development at NIPSCO. “It shows a long-term commitment to NW Indiana. This new technology can help assure the viability of the company (U.S. Steel) and meet high quality emission standards.”

Tags | Holladay Properties, ICS Logistics, The Ross Group, U.S. Steel