Sign this petition if you oppose the rezoning of two large agricultural parcels, having 155 acres, south of 61st Avenue and east of Colorado Street in Hobart. A family farm and several residential neighborhoods exist directly across from these roads. Quality wildlife habitat protected by Hobart's own piece of Indiana Dunes National Park and Lake George are only a half mile to the north. *If you would like to donate $ to our cause please do so by contacting us in Facebook. Donations made on this page do not go to us; they only promote our petition on Change.org, which has had limited success.

The two parcels are currently zoned R-3 (Single Family and Two Family Homes) as presented in the City's Master Plan. An industrial developer, Becknell Industrial, has requested that the City of Hobart change it M-1 (Light Manufacturing). If this is approved, our City will lose more farmland and 6 very large industrial buildings will be built. These buildings will contain over 2,000,000 square feet, which is larger than Southlake Mall that has 1,200,000 square feet. Based on the proposed development plan, the buildings will have a total of 206 semi tractor trailer docks. Surrounding the buildings will be 1,676 parking spaces for cars and 432 more spaces for semis. 

This development will fundamentally change the look and feel of our City. It will also:

• Decrease Surrounding Home Values and Throughout the City
• Add more Air, Ground Water, Light, and Noise Pollution
• Increase the chances of localized flooding and also Deep River and Lake George by adding many acres of impervious surfaces
• Decrease the Appeal of our Community to both the Citizens of Hobart and to Potential Newcomers
• Lead to more Re-zoning of the Surrounding Parcels to M-1
• Increase Semi Traffic and Commuting Times
• Increase Urbanization and Industrialization of our City

Predevelopment agreements with the developer have been approved by the Redevelopment Commission and by City Council, BUT the zoning change must be approved by first by the Planning Commission and then by City Council. We can stop this by uniting as one voice and letting them know how we feel. Make Your VOICE HEARD! ENGAGE your City officials in this process by signing this petition and showing up to the Planning Commission meeting on March 3rd at 7pm in Council Chambers. (You can attend by Zoom too.) You can also email or call your City Councilman and the Mayor to share your thoughts. Furthermore, you can also get involved in the City's process for developing a new Master Plan, which begins in March or April 2022.