VALPARAISO | A lawsuit has been filed challenging Porter County over last month's rezoning of land at the northwest corner of Ind. 49 and U.S. 6 for the new Porter hospital.

Residential landowners near the site, who are calling themselves the Liberty Landowners Association, claim the county commissioners failed to consider the incompatibility of the new hospital with neighboring homes.

The new zoning will increase traffic in the area, lead to the construction of large buildings and sprawling parking areas, and will fuel commercial growth in the currently residential area, the suit says.

The incompatibility of these two zonings adjacent to one another is spelled out in the county's unified development ordinance, the group said.

The suit further claims the favorable rezoning vote cast by Porter County Commissioner John Evans is invalid as a conflict of interest because his wife, Laurie Wehner-Evans, is an executive or employee of Northwest Indiana Health Systems, which was awarded the rezoning.

Tennessee-based Community Health Systems hopes to build a 225-room hospital on the 105-acre site in question.

The rezoning was approved by commissioners Bob Harper and Evans. It was opposed by Commissioner Carole Knoblock, who said she felt it was the wrong location for a hospital.

Neighboring residents attended previous public hearings regarding the rezoning and cited several concerns such as drainage, traffic, noise pollution, wildlife displacement, potential tax impact and quality-of-life changes.

Rezoning of the land has also been a contentious issue for county officials. At the Plan Commission's December meeting, officials narrowly approved the proposal by a 5-4 vote after more than three hours of discussion. The Plan Commission's recommendation included several stipulations.

No hearing date has been set for the lawsuit.