Federal grant to boost regional commission’s economic development strategy
The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s comprehensive economic development strategy has been given a $70,000 boost from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
The plan, posted at nirpc.org, was adopted in May following public input sessions late last year.
According to the EDA, the funding will promote the strategy for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties by bringing the public and private sectors together to strengthen the regional economy and create more job opportunities.
“Thank you to all the leadership of NIRPC for successfully utilizing this federal resource and continuing your initiatives to create the foundation for more economic growth in Northwest Indiana,” U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan said Thursday in announcing the grant. “I look forward to continuing to build on this momentum to create more good-paying job opportunities for everyone in our region.”
“The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy represents the work of multiple regional stakeholders,” NIRPC Executive Director Ty Warner said in a news release. “This award allows us to advance the strategic goals in the CEDS, including building up the workforce and industry clusters that will keep Northwest Indiana economically competitive well into the future.”
Goals of the strategy deal with economic diversification and innovation, workforce resiliency and quality of place.
Two key areas to focus on are energy and advanced computing. For energy, that would include things like pharmaceuticals, not just refining fossil fuels or developing renewable energy sources. For advanced computing, that would include programming for quantum computing as well as data centers and other industries.
Meanwhile, Porter County is currently working on a comprehensive plan, the first since 2001, to guide land use and other issues. Input is being gathered at elevateportercounty.com.
The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority’s new 20-year strategic plan includes a nonprofit being set up to assemble parcels and clean up brownfields to prepare them for redevelopment. Putting that land back in productive use will be another step toward improving both the quality of life and economy in the region.
Another tool is the creation of transit development districts, which encourage development within a half mile of South Shore Line stations. That, too, promises to improve the quality of life while fostering additional economic development.