A Michigan hotel developer hopes to start construction by this summer for a Holiday Inn Express at the Coffee Creek Center in Chesterton.
Representatives for Amerilodge of Bloomfield Hills, a Detroit suburb, appeared before the Chesterton Town Council for a public hearing, asking the town to vacate a drainage easement.
There were no objections from Town Engineer Mark O’Dell or the Town Council to the proposal.
The council will have to wait until its next meeting to approve the request because two Council members, Jennifer Fisher and Sharon Darnell, were absent.
The proposed four-story, 105-room hotel would be located on four lots immediately north of AJ’s Pizza, on the opposite side of Blackwell Lane, sandwiched between Matson Drive and Village Point.
James Schneider, a Pontiac architect retained by Amerilodge, said that they have to submit the project to state regulators.
A review isn’t necessary by the town’s Advisory Plan Commission because there is already a Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement in place. But the developer would have to go to the Advisory Plan Commission if the final plan has any deviations from the PUD.
Schneider said the building’s design will follow the new prototype for Holiday Inn Express.
The building will be 242 feet long and 78 feet wide. The proposed 53 1/2-foot height is well below the 70-foot maximum allowed by the town.
Amerilodge has built hotels in Portage, Michigan City and LaPorte.
“We think it will be a very good addition to your community,” Schneider said.
In other business, James Kowalski, a member of the town’s advisory plan commission and board of zoning appeals, came to the council to express his misgivings about Indiana House Bill 1001.
The bill, which passed out of the Indiana House and is now in the Senate, was sponsored by Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, as a measure that would ease regulations and make housing more affordable.
However, Kowalski said that the proposed law could significantly change what towns can do to regulate new construction coming into the community.
Among other things, the new proposed law would limit what the town could do with zoning regulations and prohibit town officials from imposing limits on exterior design. He said it also would allow mixed-use and multi-family housing in areas zoned residential, overriding local government discretion.
Kowalski said the proposal has the backing of Governor Mike Braun. He said he hopes that enough communities let the State Senate know that there are problems with this bill so that changes can be made.
Council President Erin Collins, D-2nd, said that Chesterton officials are aware of the proposal. She said her issues with the bill are that it is being promoted as a fix for housing affordability, but allowing more housing types won’t necessarily reduce construction costs.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/holiday-inn-express-on-track-in-chesterton/
