An ever-growing and thriving community needs infrastructure. Transit Development Districts (TDD) help build that structure. Luckily the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (NWI RDA) has been working behind the scenes to make these essential developments happen.
A TDD is a boundary created with collaboration from the local community to bring high-quality transit to the area.
Improvements to rail transit in NWI are focused on current rail lines and new rail lines that connect Chicago to NWI for work and overall access.
“These districts are designed to drive investment, job, and population growth and economic opportunities along Northwest Indiana’s commuter rail lines,” said Dave Wellman, communications manager for the NWI RDA.
Indiana’s RDA was created in 2006 for this purpose.
In fact, the current TDD work is meant to promote economic growth, improve lives, and bring additional jobs to NWI throughout the region and along Lake Michigan.
Two main projects are underway in NWI. Both the South Shore Line Double Track Project and the West Lake Corridor Project connect and enhance rail travel from Dyer to Michigan City.
To help ensure this happens, the RDA contributes $8 million per year to expand and improve rail transportation throughout the Region. These funds are then matched by local communities.
“We are already seeing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects get underway in Hammond and Michigan City,” said Sherri Ziller, president and CEO of the RDA. “In the coming decades, we expect billions more in development.”
TDDs, like all work done by the NWI RDA, are created in partnership with local communities.
A key tenet of this work is open communication and access to information.
The NWI RDA holds frequent public meetings to inform the public of its upcoming plans, share the rationale for the next steps, and provide the most current information.
“Transit development districts around various suburban train stations in the Chicagoland area have seen significant improvement in real estate development activity since the development/redevelopment of the station,” said Aaron Kowalski, an urban planner at MKSK in Indianapolis.
TDDs are projected to bring in $2.3 billion dollars in new private investment, 6,000 new jobs, and over $3 billion dollars in long-term economic growth for NWI.
“These districts will enable the RDA to accelerate development and support public infrastructure investment around commuter rail stations in Northwest Indiana,” said Ziller.
TDDs are a combination of retail, housing, and commercial development as well. Additionally, no current housing will be taken in the process.
TDD work is underway or being studied for Valparaiso, South Bend, and Beverly Shores/Pines.
“TDDs result in thousands of new jobs for the Region as well as vastly better access to high-paying careers in Chicago,” said Ziller. To learn more about Transit Development Districts (TDD) or the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, please visit www.nwitdd.com.
