The old waterpark property on U.S. 20 in Porter was recently purchased by a group of local residents who want to see the land developed for the community’s best interest.
Three couples, who are neighbors and longtime Porter residents, incorporated and called themselves Friends of Porter, LLC, state records show.
They closed the deal on Sept. 29 when they paid $850,000 to White Stallion LC for the 17.5-acre parcel on U.S. 20, between the Ind. 49 interchange and Waverly Road, county records show.
“I have been obsessed with that property for a long time,” said Mark Lecy, who is the registered agent for Friends of Porter, LLC.
Lecy said they don’t have specific plans themselves, but by buying the property, they would bring a local voice toward shaping its future.
“We want to try to have an influence in putting something there that would serve the community, serve visitors and be a catalyst,” Lecy said. “Our role is to attract developers. We want to collaborate with the town.”
A lodge or hotel that would serve the growing needs of tourism with the Indiana Dunes National and State parks is one idea. A mixed-use development with offices, stores and restaurants could be another way to go, Lecy said.
White Stallion LC of Provo, Utah, has owned the land since July 2012 and was the last operator of the Seven Peaks Waterpark Duneland. The park was suddenly closed in June 2017 by the Porter County Health Department after at least 11 children reported chlorine burns and a host of other violations were discovered.
Weiss Entities of Chicago in 2019 unveiled a $35 million proposal for five buildings with 311 luxury apartment units on the property. The Porter Town Council granted Weiss a Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement for the property, but the Chicago developer backed out.
The Porter Plan Commission and Town Council during the fall of 2022 — wary of the Utah owner’s past stewardship of the waterpark — both unanimously rejected White Stallion’s attempt to follow through with the Chicago developer’s plan for apartments on the land.
Michael Barry, Porter’s director of development/building commissioner, said that the town is probably going to vacate the PUD, which guides development decisions, for the U.S. 20 land.
“There’s no point in having it hang over the property as an albatross. It would be better to have a clean slate,” Barry said.
Lecy said he didn’t like the idea of apartments being built on the land, which he considers an important piece of property for the town.
“The recreation economy is ripe to be tapped,” Lecy said, noting the development of the Marquette Greenway Trail and kayak launches, to supplement what the national and state parks already offer.
Another important piece in the puzzle is the Johnson Inn property at Porter Beach. The property is in probate in Lake County as Chuck Williams, a Valparaiso developer, is interested in buying the inn so he can redevelop the lakefront land.
Lecy said that the town of Porter has talked for years about extending the sanitary sewer service north of U.S. 20. He said the development of the U.S. 20 property and the Johnson Inn land could help the town obtain grants to build the sewer extension.
In recent years, Lecy said he watched as White Stallion LC had originally set a price of $2.4 million for the 17.5-acre property.
Gradually, the price dropped as the owners attempted this past summer to auction the property with a minimum price of $990,000.
White Stallion bought the property for $1,050,000 in 2012, which then included 21.5 acres across Waverly Road, directly across from the waterpark land and north of the Summertree subdivision.
The Utah developer still owns 15 acres north of the Summertree subdivision.
Lecy said in recent weeks, weeds and scraggly trees have been cleared from the waterpark land. He said they also plan to fix the fences as they want to improve the property’s appearance.
After that, the plan is to wait and see what proposals come. “We’re in no hurry,” Lecy said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
