The corridor along U.S. Highway 20 in Portage will be receiving a facelift.
The city will put into action a plan to revitalize the stretch of properties along the highway. The formal plan is nearly complete and will be presented to the Portage Redevelopment Commission (RDC) early this year.
“The plan serves as a guide to redevelopment along the U.S. 20 Corridor,” A.J. Monroe, director of public works, wrote in an email. “The plan sets a course for action."
“It is important to note … that the RDC has acted toward implementation – even while the document was being worked on. Several properties have been acquired (some demolished) during the last year-plus.”
Among the properties the RDC has acquired in the early stages of improvement are Don’s Motel and Mobile Home Park; the Castaway Hotel; the Smoke Shop on the northwest corner of U.S. 20 and Samuelson Road; and the Bait Shop on the northeast corner of U.S. 20 and Indiana 249.
The next steps for the plan include the demolition of both the Smoke Shop and the Bait Shop. In the meantime, as the formal plan is finalized, the RDC will continue to meet with developers to renovate properties that have been purchased along the corridor, Monroe wrote.
This project is a first for Portage, which will look to past efforts for guidance.
“This is the first time the city of Portage commissioned a plan solely focused on the U.S. 20 corridor,” Monroe wrote. “With that said, past planning efforts have served the City relatively well. It is the city’s current zoning/development standards that have guided the development of PSC Machining, Hampton Inn, Solid Platforms, Bloomfield [Mechanical] and Konrady [Plastics, Inc.], to name a few.”
While developing the plan to revitalize the Highway 20 Corridor, the city has kept citizens in the loop and tried to make residents a part of the design progression.
“We have held public workshops, business focus-groups [and] stakeholder interviews throughout the planning process,” Monroe wrote. “We have planned the work. Now, our community must work the plan.
“Actions taken in the future must be mindful of the plan’s recommendations. Implementation of the plan must remain a top priority for our community.”