Major Construction Underway At Coffee Creek Center
Class A Office Highlights Projects
Chesterton, Indiana-Four projects are currently under construction in Coffee Creek Center, one of the nation's foremost sustainable communities, including the development of the region's premier office space.
Coffee Creek Center, a 640-acre new-urbanist project in Chesterton, Indiana, consists of pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods, offering homes, workplaces and retail centers settled among hundreds of acres of greenspace and environmental restoration.
Morgan's Corner Neighborhood
Construction of five townhomes, four cottage homes, four village homes and one estate home began this May in the Morgan's Corner neighborhood of Coffee Creek Center. Primarily a single-family neighborhood, the neo-traditional plan includes a network of park space, mixed-use locations, as well as design standards that include narrower roadways, rear alleys, and front porches. Through a partnership with IBACOS (Integrated Building And Construction Solutions), energy efficiency, design and construction are key features in the homes. These first homes surround a landscaped park while offering a great view of the Pavilion, which is located within the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve. With homes just beginning, four locations in Morgan's Corner are already under reservation.
Along with the homes at Morgan's Corner, the Enclave apartments broke ground earlier this year on the first of 19 apartment buildings. The buildings will feature a total of 192 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Build-out is expected in two to three years. The Enclave is an important asset to the greater Chesterton community, helping provide a wider range of housing options in the North Porter County market, where new apartment construction has lagged far behind high-end single-family homes.
Hilton Garden Inn
Also underway at Coffee Creek Center is the Hilton Garden Inn. Upon completion, the hotel will be only the second Hilton in the state of Indiana. The Garden Inn will feature 120 rooms, including 12 suites with meeting space and an indoor swimming pool, spa, and sauna. The hotel will also have a 575 square foot boardroom with seating for 30, a 700 square foot meeting room, and a dividable 1,100 square foot meeting room with banquet seating for 100 and theater seating for 200. The hotel will also feature a restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining.
Class A Office
A 50,000 square foot Class A office building in Coffee Creek Center's Village Green neighborhood is currently under contract and being marketed. Among the first Class A space in Porter County, the building overlooks an approximately 50,000 square foot public plaza that leads into the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve. This building is slated for construction in early 2002.
Steel Family Health Care Center
The first building in Coffee Creek Center was the Steel Family Health Care Center that opened in January of 2001. The health care center is a unique partnership between Bethlehem Steel, National Steel, and US Steel. The 12,000 square foot facility provides quality, cost- effective health care to employees, retirees and the families of the three companies, and provided an estimated 50 new jobs to the Chesterton community.
Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve Dedication
On Friday, June 8, 2001, the Honorable Frank O'Bannon spoke at the dedication ceremony honoring the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve at Coffee Creek Center.
Stewardship of the land, which was donated by Lake Erie Land Company (LEL), a NiSource Inc., subsidiary, is managed by the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy board of directors.
LEL's dedication to land preservation and restoration made it possible to create a non-profit organization comprised of Northwest Indiana's leading environmental groups. Representatives from Save the Dunes Council, Porter County Chapter of the Izzak Walton League, The Shirley Heinz Environmental Fund, the Coffee Creek Life Center, the Chesterton High School SAFE Club, and the Northwest Indiana Steelheaders oversee the environmental initiatives and coordination of social activities within the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve.
Additional aspects of the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve are the processes that restored the land to pre-settlement conditions. The plant and animal habitat that make up the environmental system have their health rooted in the hydrology of the landscape. At Coffee Creek, storm water management methods are designed to infiltrate storm water deeply into the landscape, where the root systems of native plants assist in the natural absorption and even flow of water in the landscape.
Lake Erie Land Company, headquartered in Chesterton, Indiana, is a subsidiary of NiSource, Inc. LEL projects include the country club and neighborhoods of Sand Creek, recognized as one of the finest golf course communities in the Midwest and Coffee Creek Center, one the country's premier examples of new urbanism and environmental development. In addition, LEL is also creating initiatives in wetland banking, as well as eco-industrial development.
For more information please contact:
Morgan's Corner: Paul Ihle, Coffee Creek Realty - (219) 395-5300
Enclave Apartments: Diane, 219-926-1487
Hilton Garden Inn: Mid-Continent Development & Construction Company - (708) 481-7800
Class A office space: Dan Genzel, Metropolitan Ventures - (262) 446-2745
Steel Family Health Care Center: Jack Romeo - (610) 694-3397
Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve: Katie Rizer, Executive Director - (219) 926-1842