The special meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Nov.
6 in the commissioners' courtroom at the Lake County Government Center, 2293 N. Main St., Crown Point.
First to speak will be the development team looking to place the long-sought convention center adjacent to the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana along Interstate 80-94 in Gary. Then, at approximately 1:30 p.m.
, the team seeking to locate the convention center in Hobart's Patriot Park just off Interstate 65 and U.S. 30 will detail the plans for their project.
Both proposals include a hotel connected to the convention center and additional hotels nearby. Both also anticipate a long-term public-private partnership between Lake County and the developer to maximize use of the convention center and related amenities. The proposed convention center in Gary would be a modern, 145,000-square-foot structure under a steel-framed canopy with large, open spaces for events and constructed using sustainable materials.
While the proposed convention center in Hobart would be a luxurious 150,000-square-foot structure with expansive meeting facilities directly connected to nature through a nearby serene lake, outdoor spaces, and easy access to hiking trails. Senate Enrolled Act 434 (2023) provides up to $5 million in annual state matching funds for the project. It also authorizes the Lake County Council to decide whether to increase up to 10% the county innkeepers tax that's sat at 5% since 1993 to create a reserve fund for convention c.
