City of Whiting Indiana: Commercial Redevelopment Plan

The Whiting Commercial Redevelopment Plan effort began in Decem- ber of 2004 with conversations between Whiting’s City Hall and the UIC City Design Center (CDC). This plan reflects the joint effort of the three graduate research assistants on the CDC team, who wrote the plan as a requirement toward the completion of their Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Three UIC planning professors provided oversight and supervision of the plan.

During the first three months of 2005 the CDC project team conducted extensive research into existing conditions in Whiting. The project team conducted baseline analysis to assess the existing conditions of the land and real estate market and current local economic develop- ment initiatives. The CDC project team then convened a meeting of community residents to suggest redevelopment visions. The project team formulated plan recommendations to balance municipal and community expectations.

The plan recommendations are based on the community’s vision, stake- holders’ needs, economic considerations and principles of sound plan- ning. To meet these criteria, the CDC team evaluated a wide range
of possible development scenarios. The final recommendations balance
a number of disparate interests to provide an optimum framework for redevelopment. New homes, park space and shopping are recommended near Lake Michigan. Industry is allotted some space in the redevelopment to provide new jobs and expand the tax base, but this use is buffered from the community by other features.