The city of Valparaiso is set to get bigger. The city council Monday adopted an annexation ordinance adding 200 acres of land near State Road 49 and Vale Park Road.
Planning director Beth Shrader said it's mainly for the future Community Sports and Recreation Complex. But it also includes a future business campus and lets the city "clean up" its boundaries.
"If there are any remonstrations, the process could linger throughout the summer. If nobody remonstrates, then it could be June or July, and it would all be finalized," Shrader told council members.
Shrader said all but one of the property owners agreed to join the annexation petition. That meant that even though the ordinance was introduced in November, the council had to wait until February to adopt it.
During a public hearing in January, Shrader downplayed residents' concerns about the park's impact on the neighboring Meadowbrook subdivision, which will remain just outside the city limits. "It's not going to happen right away, and when it does happen, it is anticipated to be a more passive, natural area with trails, space for wildlife, observation, nature, interpretive signage — things like that," Shrader said at the time.
Shrader acknowledged that the development would likely mean an increase in traffic, but she said the extension of Memorial Parkway should help.