Hammond Gateway & Downtown Stations
South Shore and West Lake Lines
Hammond, Indiana
Last Updated: November 2023
TOD Strategic Implementation Plan
Following the TDD boundary being established October 31, 2022, the team worked closely with the City of Hammond to identify and collaboratively advance planning for the community to be proactive about future TOD.
At the conclusion of this process, control of local land use and zoning remains with the cities and towns. This process aims to provide proactive guidance and recommendations that the local units can use to advance their planning processes, resulting in updated comprehensive plans, area plans, and zoning ordinances complete with locally-controlled public input.
Community Priorities & Opportunities
Big Moves
“Big Moves” are defined as enabling steps to signal to the market that conditions are right for transit-oriented development to occur.
The relocation of the Hammond South Shore Station to the confluence of the South Shore Line and the future West Lake Line catalyzes the opportunity for mixed-use development around the station area. Medium-density mixed-use development should be focused at the Hammond Gateway Station and existing NICTD commuter parking lots that served the soon-to-be-vacated Hammond South Shore Station on Hohman Avenue. The streetscape and roadway improvement projects to Gostlin Street, Chicago Street, and Hohman Avenue already underway will create new developable sites around the Hammond Gateway Station area. Around the future Hammond Downtown Station, adjacent blocks show potential for mixed-use infill development supported by downtown revitalization.
Areas of Impact
Areas of Impact were established to distinguish between major (re)development areas, both TOD and non-TOD, and areas to be maintained, preserved, and enhanced. These designations begin to direct development activity and other targeted investments based on proximity and relationship to the station area.
TOD Opportunity Sites surrounding the South Shore Line in Hammond include land resulting from the Gostlin Street reconstruction and the rail alignment to the north of the future Gateway Station, redevelopment of the former South Shore Station and parking lot, and the Hohman Avenue corridor. In downtown, redevelopment of industrial property to the east of the future West Lake Line has been considered in addition to development sites identified in the Downtown Hammond Master Plan.
Future Land Use
The approach to future land use planning in this plan focuses on areas that are anticipated to change. Future land use is shown in general categories of land use to guide future land use and development decisions while allowing for flexibility in densities and building types.
Future land use intends to create multiple mixed-use nodes within the TDD boundary. Opportunities for a Mixed-Use Neighborhood exist around the Hammond Gateway Station. These opportunities are focused on redeveloping vacant and underutilized properties that support the existing residential areas in this neighborhood. These areas include property immediately north of the station and east of the station where the soon-to-be vacated Hammond South Shore Station is located. Neighborhood Commercial is most appropriate for future investment along the Calumet Avenue corridor. Future land use around Downtown Hammond focuses on a Mixed-Use Core most suitable for the density and mix of uses characteristic of a downtown area.
Land Use Planning
Development Framework
Development Concepts
Three development opportunities were studied in this planning process and selected to illustrate the potential of TOD in more detail with scenario planning and renderings.
Conceptual rendering of development at the future Gateway Station (Site A)
Conceptual rendering of development at the future Downtown Hammond Station (Site K)
Arc of Development
The arc of development for each community was defined collectively for selected development opportunities within the TDD boundary that projects future development potential over 5-, 10-, and 20-year time horizons. Quantitative and qualitative factors such as local/public property control, developer engagement or interest, site conditions, current regulations or future regulatory changes, among others were considered.
Infrastructure
Thoroughfare Typologies
Thoroughfare Typologies were developed to analyze existing corridor conditions and create aspirational goals for future street design and streetscape.
TOD Priority Thoroughfares
Hohman Avenue is an important corridor throughout Hammond, and it is designated as a TOD Priority Thoroughfare. Hohman Avenue in Downtown Hammond is being reconstructed as a Complete Street with on-street parking and high-quality pedestrian amenities, as recommended in the 2019 Downtown Hammond Master Plan. The rebuilt portion of Gostlin Street is also a TOD Priority Thoroughfare due to its capacity for connecting to the new station area.
Proposed changes to the cross sections of Downtown Hohman Avenue from the 2019 Downtown Hammond Master Plan.
Questions or Comments
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Check the FAQ section
Read through the questions below from the virtual public meeting
Browse through more information on the site which is constantly being updated
Virtual Public Presentation
See below for the full slide deck and video recording from the Virtual Public Presentation held on June 9th, 2021:
Q&A
Who issues the bonds through the TDD?
It depends on the way the project is structured. If the RDA can issue bonds for the Hammond district, it will issue those bonds. If the city wishes to issue those bonds, the RDA can direct the incremental revenues through the MOU to the city so the city can use those for debt service.
I live on Ogden & Lyman. A block that is in the boundary for the proposed Downtown Hammond station. It appears the proposal is to remove the homes on my block to replace with parking and parking access. Should we be concerned with losing our homes?
The impact of the NICTD station parking on your home is a question we do not have the capability to answer – it concerns to plans of the NICTD rail line, and not the TDD boundary, which does not practice eminent domain. However, that is a question we would like to help you get an answer to, and would like to direct you to NICTD for more information: DWellman@rda.IN.gov
How does the planned closure of the hospital downtown affect your outlook for the future development downtown?
We are setting the boundary for the long run (20+ years). There will be known and unknown changes to the land within the TDD over the course of its lifespan. Part of the purpose of the TDD is to allow Hammond another tool financially to enhance and deal with its land use changes that may be unanticipated in the future.
With the pandemic showing less need of employees at offices, why should a billion dollars be spent?
The rail line encourages all kinds of development. It neither specifically encourages nor discourages office employment. Certainly, if there is a desire for people to live in Hammond and work in downtown Chicago, the rail line will provide that opportunity: this added connection between the two cities will encourage real estate value increase through increased interest in the Hammond market as a less urban environment for Chicago workers to live. The notion behind the connectivity is to allow for all kinds of development, not just employment-based development.
Why haven’t you done anything with the current properties near the Hohman stop?
We are working to understand the opportunities around the Gateway station and to draw a boundary that provides the right level of public investment to help the city develop areas with lots of potential, whether or not that be specifically in the area you have described.
How can travel increase unless the Illinois side tracks increase in size and usage?
The increase in travel time is through the double track that is being added withing that 16 mi distance on the South Shore line. NICTD is designing the first gateway station into Illinois in a way to improve the efficiency of a passenger’s experience on the commuter lines through increased access to parking, line convergence, and more streamlined drop off and pick up points. All of these factors will help to balance the increased line usage.
Shouldn’t Jacob Square be included East of Sohl to Calumet? There are many vacant lots that could be filled with smaller multiunit housing within walking distance to the new high school and the downtown station.
We will certainly take that into consideration as we collaborate with city leadership after this meeting.
There is a sign posted at 173rd and Lyman about a station site but nothing in this meeting mentioned this. Is this a site for a station?
NICTD is proposing a second (Hammond South) station; however, this TDD boundary is not looking at or concerned with this proposed station.
Can you provide an estimate of the TDD incremental revenue and examples of expenditures for the TDD revenue?
We do not have the capability of knowing how much incremental revenue can be collected until we have a better knowledge of how many and what investments will take place. The collection of this information will take place via several data collection firms. There are many ways the TDD revenue can be used within the community: to upgrade services, to extent services, to add new connectivity and open spaces within the community.
Is there a contract guaranteeing that 2 billion dollars will be invested?
This estimate was constricted as part of a strategic plan that the Indiana General Assembly required the RDA to do. A planning process along with an engineering firm and with policy analytics came up with those estimates. If you are interested in the detailed methodology, you can go the RDA website where the comprehensive detail plan on the 20-year development.
Can you generally define the word increment, as in incremental revenue?
Incremental revenue in a TIFF or TDD means that you establish a base year, and the investments produced after that base year create the increment via the new property and income taxes attributable to those new investments in the district. The base year is projected to be 2021. Thus 2022 will be the first year counted towards the TDD incremental revenue.
What is the northern boundary of the Hammond Gateway TDD?
It is roughly a block to a block-and-a-half North of the new alignment of Gostlin Street.
What would trigger the one-time doubling of the TDD boundary?
There are several possibilities: one would be that the city in conjunction with the RDA sees a need for incentivizing investment in an area outside of the current boundary. Another possibility would be a need for more incremental revenues that could assist an area not within the current boundary.
Why invest in old technology?
We would not necessarily characterize the development in that way. This development district will increase connectivity and economic prosperity within the community, a benefit which remains pertinent today, and will remain relevant for the duration of the TDD. Regarding the rail line, it provides a more convenient way to travel back and forth between cities and complements other modes of transportation in place today. It also provides more opportunities for economic development within the district than other modes of transportation.