Teardowns in Munster (Hammond, Monroe: new house, established neighborhood, buyer)

[Northwest Indiana]

Although there is still some time before Munster's subdivisions on the south side are 100% built-out, I am wondering if Munster will perhaps experience a "teardown phenomenon" that some of the west and north suburbs of Chicago have been experiencing. In my honest opinion, I believe that if the comprehensive plan is followed and a commuter rail station and high-end shopping are completed, Munster will become a much more fantastic town than I believe it currently is .

Also, if we do experience such a phenomenon, does anybody know if the town has some municipal codes set in place that directly addresses this?

Once again, this is just my opinion...I do not expect everyone to agree with me...but please be respectful in your response as I mean no harm and do not want to offend anyone

P.S. The reason why I am asking this question is because since the floods that happened in Munster has passed, I have seen that some of the homes have been rebuilt and I just thought about the older areas of other towns in which many of the homes have been torn down and replaced either by out-of-place McMansions or extravagant homes with similar size and character to the original homes in the neighborhood

I appreciate everyone's responses!

[richb]

There have been a few teardowns in Munster over the last couple of years. It hasn't been anything like Hinsdale Illinois by any means though. Most have been along Ridge Road on more interesting and unique lots. I don't know of any going on now, due to the current market making high end houses mostly pointless to build unless you already have a buyer for it. The flood did wreck a few houses beyond repair. So there are a few empty lots around the north end of town that likely wouldn't have been vacant otherwise. So for a while removing an old house won't really be necessary.

Will there be more teardowns in the future if the South Shore opens a stop in town? Its possible, if Munster continues to be popular with people working downtown Chicago.

I don't know if there are any rules directed solely at teardowns,,, yet. Most of the time most places don't create any rules until there are problems. Munster hasn't had any major problems due to big new houses yet. I think most residents of Munster don't have problems with big houses,,, ha ha!

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by richb

There have been a few teardowns in Munster over the last couple of years. It hasn't been anything like Hinsdale Illinois by any means though. Most have been along Ridge Road on more interesting and unique lots. I don't know of any going on now, due to the current market making high end houses mostly pointless to build unless you already have a buyer for it. The flood did wreck a few houses beyond repair. So there are a few empty lots around the north end of town that likely wouldn't have been vacant otherwise. So for a while removing an old house won't really be necessary.

Will there be more teardowns in the future if the South Shore opens a stop in town? Its possible, if Munster continues to be popular with people working downtown Chicago.

I don't know if there are any rules directed solely at teardowns,,, yet. Most of the time most places don't create any rules until there are problems. Munster hasn't had any major problems due to big new houses yet. I think most residents of Munster don't have problems with big houses,,, ha ha!

Thank you very much for your response! I really appreciate it and agree with you 100% . I also wanted to add that 1) I really think it would not hurt the town any to add new municipal codes directed towards building new in an established (30 years+) neighborhood & 2) Most people in Munster may not mind big homes, but if they were comfortable living in a small mid-century home and the home next to them was torn down for a mcmansion, they may not be to happy about it lol.

[Northwest Indiana]

Also, I think that for an older area like Wicker Park Estates, a teardown that results in this would be more welcome

http://blog.bryanbomba.com/files/2008/11/613bodinfront.jpg (broken link)

as opposed to a teardown in that neighborhood like this:




Like I said...I am not necessarily saying that teardowns would be welcomed, but I am stating what I feel would be more acceptable in that particular neighborhood and what would be unacceptable.

[Northwest Indiana]

So, I recently drove through the northern part of Munster (in the River Drive area both west and east of Calumet) and I have to say that some of the homes that were rebuilt from the floods have done a great job of of trying to keep in line with the current neighborhood character. One of the houses on River Drive (east of Hammond clinic) added a floor to the house and is using red siding on the top and limestone (from the original house) on the bottom. The house is bigger but it is by no means ostentatious. It really looks nice and feels good to know that these people who lost so much are able to finally start rebuilding their lives! Despite all of this though, I feel that Munster should adopt some special codes addressing the reconstruction of homes in established neighborhoods. What could it hurt?

[Northwest Indiana]

There is a teardown on the north side of ridge road (I think just east or west of White Oak Avenue)....I believe it was one of the homes that was damaged during the tornado/storms a couple years ago...Personally, while I think that the home itself looks nice, it is very big for the area and kind of dwarfs some of the surrounding homes. It kind of takes away some of the character of the more historic homes on Ridge...the home is still under construction...if anybody has seen this home, what do you think about it?

(P.S., regardless, I still think that it is great that rebuilding is occurring! It just shows that Munster is still a very very good town that people are willing to reinvest in. I just feel that some guidance should be provided so that new architecture is still sensitive to older areas )

[Northwest Indiana]

Here is a new teardown in Wicker Park Estates...It dwarfs the home behind it but still fits in with the neighborhood. It stands out, but in a good way. The home is 100% complete now with the driveway and the entry-way stairs put in. They also have a basketball court.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

Here is a new teardown in Wicker Park Estates...It dwarfs the home behind it but still fits in with the neighborhood. It stands out, but in a good way. The home is 100% complete now with the driveway and the entry-way stairs put in. They also have a basketball court.

I guess the picture was removed. But it is on Fairway avenue and although I cannot give out the address, it is VERY noticeable.

[Northwest Indiana]

There are 3 teardowns in a row on Monroe Avenue in Munster (in the area between River Drive and School Street). One of them is even being completed by Precision Construction. They look very nice and a little larger than the previous homes YET still do not look too big for the neighborhood. This is a really positive sign for the town!

[Northwest Indiana]

This is an article that talks about the teardowns in Munster.

By the way, the one pictured is a good example of what SHOULD NOT be allowed. However, overall, this is a very good sign.

New homes, some supersized, reviving older neighborhoods