April 16, 2025
Mayor Costas wants to bulldoze two historic buildings in Downtown Valparaiso to make a bigger park.
As the owners of the buildings, we strongly oppose this plan and we are asking for your help.
What is the City’s Plan?
The City plans to condemn both buildings by using Eminent Domain law. These buildings are modernized, fully occupied, and epitomize the character of downtown. To take these types of private properties from their owners is not the intent of Eminent Domain and a clear example of overreach.
Taxpayer money will be used to purchase and demolish the buildings, then to redevelop the land. The buildings will no longer be on the tax roll, which means the City is spending even more money because it is cutting over $60,000 of property tax revenue each year that will not be replaced.
Eight local businesses will have their leases terminated and be displaced by the City. These are Valpo Chamber businesses representing well over 50 employees who support our downtown each day (along with their clients, customers, and vendors), including:
- Blachly, Tabor, Bozik, & Hartman Law Firm who has been there for over 50 years
- Laciak Accountancy Group who had their Ribbon Cutting in 2016
- Old World Market, over 25 years
- Wagner Architecture, over 25 years
What are the taxpayers getting with all of this? A bigger Central Park. We think Central Park is right-sized and beautiful as it is. We don’t need a steep hill connecting it all the way to the Courthouse at the cost of the downtown square.
What Should Be the Plan?
Enlarging the park does not align with the voices of our community during Elevate Valpo or the adopted guide from the City’s planning consultant HyettPalma who we have partnered with for 20 years.
Highlights from HyettPalma’s Valparaiso Downtown Action Agenda Update 2017:
- Page 23: “… an emphasis must be placed on aggressively recruiting quality, well-capitalized, and well-managed retail businesses” (we will lose Old World Market from our downtown)
- Page 25: “… care should be taken to ensure that Downtown parking is convenient, friendly, and visible for Downtown customers” (we will lose two private lots that are currently free to the public after business hours and provided to Valpo Events)
- Page 28: “… and taking care not to demolish Downtown’s valuable and viable historic buildings” (76 S. Washington is a 102-year-old building that contributes to the historic character of the Courthouse Square)
- Page 28: “Construction of underground parking – to accommodate the needs of a structure’s users – should be encouraged” (56 S. Washington has underground parking for its tenants)
- Page 28: “A concerted effort should continue to be made to encourage and support development of more housing in the upper floors of buildings throughout Downtown Valparaiso” (76 S. Washington has three highly sought after apartments)
- Page 35: Benchmarks that should be tracked by the City of Valparaiso to measure Downtown success: taxable value, private investment, number of businesses, number of housing units, retail space square feet, office space square feet, etc. (all of these numbers are being reduced)
More than anything, we think the Valparaiso taxpayers should have a say. It is your money and your downtown after all.
Please contact your City Council representative and share your thoughts. However, it is our understanding that the Condemnation process does not require a City Council vote.
Please address your concerns to the Valparaiso Board of Public Works & Safety and the Redevelopment Commission.
We will keep you updated on this website and will have more to say about the overall process and the stakeholders involved if this plan continues to move forward.
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Peter Von Tobel
Brent Wagner
Resources
HyettPalma Valparaiso Downtown Action Agenda Update 2017
