The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is offering two chances to weigh in on the proposed boundaries of a new transit development district in Beverly Shores and The Pines.

The boundaries for the proposed district are at nwitdd.com/beverly-shores. The district would stretch across U.S. 12, allowing Michigan City sanitary sewers to be extended initially to encourage development along the highway.

By law, each transit development district is limited to within a half mile of the South Shore Line train station, in this case Beverly Shores. A transit development district, unique to Northwest Indiana, essentially serves as a supercharged tax-increment financing district to encourage development surrounding the train stations.

In Michigan City, this has meant not only building a new train station downtown but also an entire city block for a parking garage, residential units and commercial space as well as surrounding improvements.

The first hearing on the Beverly Shores/Pines transit district boundaries is set for 10 a.m. May 8 at the Purdue Technology Center, 9800 Connecticut Dr., Crown Point. The second will be 10 a.m. June 12 at the same location.

Anyone who can’t attend either hearing may submit comments to dwellman@rda.in.gov or in writing to the RDA. The deadline for those comments is 9:30 a.m. June 12.

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.