Hobart’s pitch for Lake County Convention Center: Work, live, play and more
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Rendering of proposed Lake County Convention Center in Hobart. (Graphic provided)
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Map of proposed convention center in Hobart.
To Josh Huddlestun, the stretch of land along U.S. 30 on the southern edge of Hobart is one of the northwest Indiana city’s most valuable assets.
The area has easy access to Chicago and Indianapolis via Interstate 65 and is a desirable location for housing and commercial real estate alike.
As mayor of Hobart, Huddlestun has been planning for a significant development along the U.S. 30 and I-65 intersection—called Patriot Park—for a few years. But when the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority conducted a study finding that site was its top option for the location of a countywide convention center, Huddlestun began seeing U.S. 30 as a valuable asset for all of Lake County.
“This is a Lake County convention center. This is not a Hobart convention center,” said Huddlestun. “It’s going to be challenging to operate a convention center in Lake County—all convention centers are challenging. But I felt it was my duty, obligation and responsibility to put something together as the number one site.”
Hobart and the city of Gary have each submitted plans for massive new convention spaces that call for hundreds of millions of dollars of investment through public-private partnerships.
On its 215-acre site, Hobart is partnering with Garfield Public/Private LLC to develop what would be a massive new mixed-use district.
The convention center itself in the center of the development would have 150,000 square feet of space. The building would have an attached hotel with 250 rooms, and two other 100-room hotels would sit within walking distance.
In addition to the hotels needed to host conferences, Hobart’s proposal calls for a series of mixed-use and commercial buildings. But Huddlestun is more excited about the over 400 units of multifamily housing that will go around the outsides of the conference center district. Hand-in-hand with the housing units are plans for a golf park, a sports complex and other outdoor areas.
Huddlestun’s vision is to use the convention center development as a way of attracting more young professionals to the city.
“People are looking for that ‘live, work, play’ model. And how does that convention center fit it? It creates demand, which allows the capital market to build things that are fun and exciting to do,” Huddlestun said.
Venue management company ASM Global would operate the convention center, which Huddlestun touts as a modernized, customer-focused space complete with different types of meeting space as well as outdoor space and views of nature. Huddlestun says the city hasn’t worked with ASM before, but he’s impressed with their experience in the space.
The convention center bidding process is connected to Senate Enrolled Act 434, which sets up financing of up to $5 million in annual state matching funds for the project. The law also allows the Lake County Council to increase the county’s innkeepers tax from 5% to 10% to help pay for additions and other items associated with the career center.
Huddlestun said he’s open to different ideas about raising the local $5 million component, but he doesn’t think it should all be borne by Hobart residents.
The same law requires Lake County Commissioners to decide on Hobart or Gary’s pitch by July 1, 2025, though they could make a call by the end of the year.
“This could really be transformational to the entire region,” Huddlestun said. “If we can deliver on the convention center, what would that route 30 corridor look like? I think it would blow the top off the region and really be a destination.”
Editor’s note: Inside INdiana Business is highlighting the two pitches on the table for the Lake County Convention Center. We’ll have more on the city of Gary’s pitch in Friday’s INside Edge Midday Report newsletter.