On Tuesday, Anne Anderson Director of Economic Development for the City of Hammond welcomed a strong crowd to the dual ground breaking and ribbon cutting at Oxbow Landing.
“Thank you for coming out to help us celebrate the progress that surrounds us today,” said Anderson. “Oxbow Landing isn’t just about one company, it’s about the synergy of all these developments and how it’s made this area so successful.”
Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. gave the waiting crowd a passionate history of the property from before his time in office to today. Included in that timeline were the many financial, legal, and economic challenges faced, but McDermott highlighted the perseverance of residents and city officials through the process.
“The Hammond residents stuck with us, the Hammond City Council stuck with us, and we paid off those bonds, and we paid off the town of Highland, and then we got interest,” said McDermott.
McDermott spoke of the momentum Oxbow Landing has gained over time as ATG Real Estate Development, Buffalo Wild Wings, Byway Brewery, Ascent Hospitality, and more have expressed interest and built in the space.
“Now we have momentum. Look around you right now. This was a problem area in our city when I took over 15 years ago, and now it is thriving,” said McDermott.
McDermott’s genuine pride in this success story could be seen when he joked with attendees that he was going ‘off-script’ for a moment.
“I just want you to know how much this means to the City of Hammond. It’s giving people hope in our city. They took a negative and turned it into a positive,” said McDermott. “It takes money, it takes guts, it takes support, and if you do it the right way, you get to stand up here and be proud.”
Having previously built the 2929 office building, Eric Gastevich, Founding Principal at ATG Real Estate Development, broke ground Tuesday on an identical building at 2901. ATG also has four outlets they have a strong interest in from restaurants in the area.
“We look forward to bringing other first class tenants to the City of Hammond to occupy this first class office building,” said Gastevich.
Nash Patel, CEO of Ascent Hospitality, built the Hampton Inn and Suites and just opened the Holiday Inn Express on site.
“I stand before some good friends today. I feel like I am at home in Hammond,” said Patel.
Patel was eager to talk about the journey his hotels have been on as they came to fruition at Oxbow Landing, and how important the partnership with the city has been to that success. According to Patel, Hammond’s dedication to making sure developer needs are met have made it one of the finest communities Ascent Hospitality has worked with.
With the ceremonial shovel breaking ground for the new office building, the group of city officials and business leaders made their way to the Holiday Inn Express and cut the ribbon celebrating it’s completion.
With two ceremonial gestures, the City of Hammond celebrated years of hard work and dreams that are characteristic of this city’s determination and grit. Through the combined effort of council staff, the Hammond City team, the developers, and the community itself, Oxbow Landing welcomed a new era.
