$356M mixed-used project planned at NW Indiana interchange

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A company that owns or operates dozens of hotels around the country is planning a $356 million mixed-use development along one of northwestern Indiana's busiest highway interchanges.

White Lodging announced Tuesday that 40 acres at the Interstate 65 and U.S. 30 interchange in Merrillville would be redeveloped to include an event center, hotels, restaurants, an office building and housing.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that The Farm at Crossroad Commons would replace White Lodging's former Radisson Hotel and Star Plaza Theatre and a still-standing office complex.

The Merrillville-based company says it will cover two-thirds of the project's cost. It's asking municipal, county and state governments to contribute the remaining third.

White Lodging Chairman Bruce White says the project "will serve as a long-standing anchor for economic development" in the region.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com