Culver’s storage, office site in works

Facility would be housed in Merrillville’s planned Heritage North development

Merrillville Plan Commission gave a warm reception to developer Fred Terpstra’s plan to house an office and dry storage facility for his Culver’s restaurants in the Heritage North development.

Terpstra said he owns all the Culver restaurants in Northwest Indiana and buys in bulk.

“My garage is filled with dry goods. I need storage space,” he said.

His office/storage facility would be located at 8221 Taney Place, He said there would be six employees, including himself, at the Nov. 2 Plan Commission meeting.

The Culver’s office would be one of three commercial sites in the Heritage North planned unit development, which also includes single-family houses and duplexes.

“This is exactly what (property owner John) “Skip” Bosak proposed to us. It’s in-between the car dealerships and residential. It’s a perfect fit,” Commission member Brian Dering said during the workshop session.

Terpstra will return on Nov. 16 for a vote on his proposal.

In other matters, Edward Adler of The Missner Group was back concerning his plan to build one or more warehouse buildings on a total of 81 acres at the Ameriplex at the Crossroads.

Adler will be at the Nov. 16 regular meeting for a vote on a rezone request for almost 11 acres at 171 E. 93rd Ave. as part of that proposal.

Adler previously received approval to rezone an adjacent 26 acres, which is next to 45 acres inside the business park at 93rd Avenue and Broadway.

“We’re just beginning the preliminary engineering. We’re looking at this as one development, but plans are evolving for the most

efficient use,” Adler said.

He said they might build just one, 806,000-squarefoot building on the site.

“That would be the biggest building in Merrillville, except possibly the Centier (corporate office building),” which is multiple stories, Councilman Shawn Pettit, D-6th, said.

Pettit said commission members would need to meet with the Redevelopment

Commission, Holladay Properties and others to discuss possible solutions to the increased traffic along 93rd and on Broadway as a result of all the new developments proposed, underway or completed in that area.

“93rd and Broadway is a nightmare,” Pettit said.

The Amazon warehouse is open and generating a lot of the traffic. Pettit said it will only get worse when Midwest Truck and Auto Parts, the Domino’s Pizza facility and Adler’s proposal are operational, in addition to an upscale apartment complex planned for across 93rd Avenue.

“It’s a great problem to have in Merrillville, but now is the time to solve some of these things,” Pettit said.

Council man Jeff Minchuk, D-3rd, suggested another exit ramp to Interstate 65 from 93rd would help and Pettit suggested a traffic signal at either Georgia or Connecticut streets and 93rd.

Jarper Properties’ proposal for duplexes on 17 acres at U.S. 30 and Morton Street will also come up for a vote at the Nov. 16 meeting.

In the meantime, two concerns were aired. Town engineer Steve King said parking spaces as planned are inadequate and Dering suggested they spruce up the back end of the properties, which will face U.S. 30.