“We are trying to leverage that success to build a more attractive area for a tourism destination and expand it outside of just gaming,” Melton said, adding the entertainment district could pave the way for restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues. There was no Hard Rock casino at the time of the study. Sites identified in the 2018 stuy included the former Radisson Star Plaza property and the former Century Mall property, both in Merrillville, as well as an area less than five miles west near Oxbow Landing in Hammond and on the border with Highland. Several locations were identified in an RDA-sponsored study that looked at potential locations for a convention center. He said there is no disputing the need for a Lake County convention center but he is not locked into any language currently in the bill or any specific location.
