Page 29 - Michigan City, IN US Highway 421 Corridor Plan

2.4 Existing Land Use Conditions Figure 2.9 Existing Land Use

2.4 Existing Land Use Conditions W 400 N (Kieffer Rd)

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2.4.1 Built Environment Ohio St. Ohio St.
The 421 Corridor Study Area consists of over 1,300 acres of Study Area, 203 parcels (36.6 percent / 482.6 acres) is
developed and undeveloped parcels. As mentioned, the 421 composed of commercial / retail uses; 38 parcels (9.1 percent Southwind Dr.
Corridor passes through multiple jurisdictions. From Interstate / 119.9 acres) is composed of professional office / institutional Westwind Dr. Coolspring Ave.
94 (I-94) to CR 400 N the corridor is within the jurisdiction of uses; 1 parcel (1.1 percent / 14.2 acres) is composed of light
LaPorte County. North of CR 400 N the corridor is within the industrial uses; and 62 parcels (6 percent / 78.6 acres) is St. John Rd.
Michigan City limits. US Highway 421, south of US Highway residential use of varying densities.
20, is under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Department of 421 S. Franklin St.
Transportation. North of US Highway 20, the thoroughfare The character of the undeveloped land is either agricultural
becomes S. Franklin Street and is under the jurisdiction of the open space with vegetation confined to along fence lines or
City of Michigan City. The parallel thoroughfares to US Highway other types of boundaries, or it is heavily-forested wetlands or Larkspur Ln. Meijer Dr.
421, Cleveland Avenue to the east, and Ohio Street to the west, lands containing small ponds. Developed land within the 421
are both within the Michigan City limits. Corridor Study Area is predominantly auto-urban in character, 94
and possesses all of the elements common to commercial Barker Rd. Coolspring Ave.
Land Use strip development anywhere else in the country. Indeed, strip
commercial development in its post-World War II form has been CR 950 W Cleveland Ave. Cleveland Ave.
The lands within the 421 Corridor Study Area vary in use one of the most common patterns for new stores, restaurants,
and utility from vacant, undeveloped lands and lands with and service businesses; and the US Highway 421 / S. Franklin W 400 N (Kieffer Rd)
environmental constraints (e.g., surface water and wetlands) Street Corridor and its perpendicular counterpart, US Highway
to lands that are currently in agricultural production. The 20, are no different. Despite the prevalence of this pattern of
remainder of the lands within the 421 Corridor Study Area land use, it is widely agreed that strip commercial development
have been fully developed to suit a range of services-oriented, can degrade the overall character of a community’s built Pahs Rd.
programmatic uses. These include multiple forms of commercial environment, as a result of its visual impacts, its impact on
and retail uses, professional office and institutional uses, light adjoining neighborhoods, and its congestion-inducing effects. Woodland Ave.
industrial uses and residential uses, as depicted in Figure 2.9,
Existing Land Use. Of the 393 parcels within the 421 Corridor Refer to Figure 2.10, Corridor Segment Descriptions, for a La Porte County Michigan City 20
location map, summary, and images of different sections of the
421 Corridor Study Area.
Single Family Residential Light Industrial 0 1000 2000
Multi-family Residential Parks
Institutional / Civic Open Space
Commercial Agriculture
Office

2-09

Adopted: August 16, 2016 Background and Existing Conditions 2.0