The push to create residential tax increment financing districts in Portage kicked off Thursday with both the Redevelopment Commission and Plan Commission approving the necessary paperwork.

Next up is an Oct. 14 City Council meeting to do the same, followed by a Nov. 6 RDC meeting to finalize the deal.

The five subdivisions participating in the plan will bring a total of 1,206 homes to the city when the last lot is developed.

“Not to be too excited, but we invented something,” Mayor Austin Bonta said, with developers eager to deal with the city over the way the tax incentives are being structured.

Redevelopment Director Dan Botich said he has been contacted by Hobart, Michigan City and other communities interested in setting these up for new residential developments.

“In Portage, we t

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