Last week I participated in the groundbreaking ceremony where the new Liberty Estates subdivision will be built in west Merrillville. The project will feature various home styles including single family homes, multi-family dwellings, senior residences, patio homes, and duet homes which I refer to as duplexes.
The single-family homes will begin in the low $400,000’s. Much work has gone into the design of this project as the town will make sure that existing homes in already developed Chapel Hill Farms, Foxwood, and Heritage North are not negatively impacted. All construction traffic will use temporary construction roads and will not travel through existing neighborhoods.
Liberty Estates is being built by Lexor Homes, owned by Randy Hall and based right here in Merrillville. He has made himself available to discuss the project with Town of Merrillville Officials, the Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Redevelopment Commission. Residents in the area and have already met with area Homeowner’s Associations and other residents to answer questions and explain the project.
The town has hired Robinson Engineering to do a traffic study and to present traffic flow ideas to the town to control traffic on Whitcomb Street which is where most of the new traffic will flow to once this 10-year project is completed. There is one blind curve on 89th Avenue that we’d like to eliminate to make it safer for motorists and pedestrians walking near the trail located off Whitcomb Street.
The new development estimated to cost $200 million, will bring 1,000 housing units to town and with the influx of Illinois residents coming across the state line for better housing opportunities we believe the demand will be there for this type of mixed-use development. The project will be offering the town a 10-acre all ages park and the plan is to work with the developer to design what we’d like to see in the park including but not limited to a playground for younger children, a walking path, benches and resting/relaxing areas for adults, a bike path, and other ideas that I will share as the plans begin. Please share with me any ideas you would like to see in a park of this size. The park will be for all residents, not just for Liberty Estates residents.
Below is a map of the first phase of this development. It will feature single family homes to the north and east, paired villas, and patio homes. Small parks will be in place and a dog park for residents to enjoy.
