The City of Michigan City is working with residents and stakeholders (including business owners, non-profits, places of worship, and elected and appointed officials) to develop a neighborhood plan for the Midtown neighborhood of Michigan City that can be used to leverage resources (including funding) to implement the vision for the neighborhood.
The listening sessions that took place in October provided opportunities to meet people from the neighborhood and greet neighbors as well as learn about the Midtown planning process, participate in group discussion about the neighborhood, and provide individual input on issues of importance for the neighborhood. It is now time to get together for the report of findings from the October meetings. This “report back” session is open to the public. Rose Scovel with the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development will share what has been learned so far about Midtown and she will explain how these findings will transition into the next steps of the planning process. Everyone is welcome. Those within the neighborhood are especially encouraged to attend. No previous involvement is needed. The “report back” session will be held Monday, November 16, 2015, at 7:00 PM in the EOC Room at City Hall (100 E. Michigan Blvd., lower level). The building is fully accessible and the meeting will last approximately 90 minutes.
For an idea of the neighborhood’s location, consider the north boundary as 11th Street/South Shore tracks, the south boundary as the CSX tracks by Ames Field, the west boundary as the Amtrak right-of-way, and the east boundary as Poplar and Tilden Avenues. The boundaries identified may be adjusted as the process continues.
In future sessions there will be a visioning process and opportunities for participating in the working groups that develop the goals and action plans for accomplishing the shared vision.
This process is a departure from the traditional approach to neighborhood plans in that residents and stakeholders will be engaged in every stage of plan development and the plan will include a strategic action plan to guide implementation by residents, businesses, non-profits, and the city.
Michigan City has contracted with the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED) to guide the neighborhood planning process using a comprehensive community development model that is being used successfully in other Indiana communities. Rose Scovel, Director of Capacity Building for IACED, is facilitating the process.