Centennial Park
Munster's largest park — gardens, entertainment stage, walking paths, fishing, and a three-acre dog park on Calumet Avenue.
Fairmeadow · Munster, IN
Munster's largest postwar subdivision, platted addition by addition
Fairmeadow is the subdivision Munster grew up in — platted in dozens of numbered additions across the second half of the twentieth century, with the 8th, 16th, and 31st additions all on file with the Town. The houses are modest by current standards and the lots are consistent, which makes it the most reliable place in town to plan an addition once you know which character district your block landed in.
History & architecture
How Fairmeadow was built
Fairmeadow was built out in numbered additions rather than a single plat — Town records include the 8th, 16th, and 31st additions among many others, which is the signature of a long, incremental mid-to-late twentieth century subdivision.
That phasing shows in the streets: each addition carries the house types and lot widths of the years it was platted, so the character shifts block to block.
The early phases are compact postwar houses; later additions run to larger ranches and split-levels as lot sizes and expectations grew.
Munster's population growth through this era was driven by families moving out from Hammond and the industrial lakefront, and Fairmeadow absorbed much of it.
The 2019 Character-Based Code re-mapped this fabric into CD-3 neighborhood districts keyed to lot width, which is why two neighboring streets can carry different standards.
The current cycle here is additions, primary-suite expansions, kitchen and rear openings, and garage replacements on houses now fifty to seventy years old.
- Typical era
- 1950s–1980s, platted in numbered additions
- Lot sizes
- Consistent suburban lots, commonly 60–70 feet wide
- Common types
- Ranches, split-levels, and modest two-stories
- Design review
- No design commission — character district standards plus town permits
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor Fairmeadow
Community Park
8839 Calumet Avenue, home to the Munster Community Pool.
Pennsy Greenway
The regional rail-trail running through the Munster area into Illinois.
Munster schools
The school district is a primary reason families buy and then stay and expand rather than move.
Businesses & districts
Where Fairmeadow gathers
Ridge Road corridor
Munster's main street — everyday retail, restaurants, and services.
Calumet Avenue corridor
The north-south commercial spine, including Community Park and the Centennial Village district.
Centennial Village
The town's mixed-use center at Ridge and Calumet.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in Fairmeadow
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on Fairmeadow lots. Always confirm your parcel's district and overlays on the Metro zoning map before design decisions get expensive.
CD-3Neighborhood character district
Munster's general neighborhood district under the Character-Based Code adopted in December 2019 (Ordinance 1788). Form — lot width, building placement, and frontage type — drives the standards rather than a conventional use-based table.
CD-3.R1Neighborhood — 70' lot one-family residence
The wider-lot single-family district in the Character-Based Code. Confirm the current lot, placement, and height figures in the Chapter 26 district tables before design; the code is the controlling text.
CD-3.R2Neighborhood — 60' lot one-family residence
The narrower-lot single-family district covering much of Munster's postwar subdivision fabric.
Overlays that apply here
PLAT
Recorded addition standards
Each numbered Fairmeadow addition has its own recorded plat, and building lines shown on the plat can be more restrictive than the character district.
SW
Stormwater and drainage
Added impervious area — additions, driveways, patios — is reviewed against town stormwater requirements on these flat, tight-draining lots.
Permitting path
- 1Confirm the parcel is inside the Town of Munster. Munster addresses sit tight against Highland, Dyer, Schererville, and Hammond, and each town has its own ordinance and boards — Briar Ridge, for example, is Dyer and Schererville, not Munster.
- 2Munster repealed its old Euclidean zoning in December 2019 (Ordinance 1788) and adopted a town-wide Character-Based Code as Chapter 26. Residential parcels fall into character districts — CD-3, CD-3.R1, CD-3.R2, CD-3.R3 — where building form and lot width, not a generic R-1 table, set the standards.
- 3Read the current Chapter 26 district tables for the specific district before drawing. The code has been amended repeatedly since adoption (landscaping, fence height, signage), and as of 2026 the Community Development Department has proposed replacing parts of it with a Unified Development Ordinance and a new zoning map.
- 4Residential building permits and zoning review run through Community Development / Building & Code Enforcement at 1005 Ridge Road.
- 5Anything that misses a dimensional standard goes to the Board of Zoning Appeals as a development standards variance. The BZA meets the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm at Town Hall and requires a pre-application meeting with the Planning Director first, so budget four to eight weeks.
- 6Zoning code and map amendments and subdivision matters go to the Plan Commission, which meets the second Tuesday at 7:00 pm.
Why it matters
Fairmeadow's place in Munster
It is the largest and most representative slice of Munster's housing stock, which makes it the bellwether for what renovation looks like town-wide.
Its stability — schools, parks, and consistent lots — keeps owners in place, and owners who stay build additions.
The block-by-block variation in lot width is the single most common source of surprise in Munster residential projects, and it originates here.
Events & festivals
What happens in Fairmeadow
Munster Music Festival
Summer
Town-run outdoor music at Centennial Park.
Region Eats food truck festival
Summer
Munster Parks event at Centennial Park.
Decades Fest
Summer
Free town music festival at Centennial Park.
Designing here
What this means for your Fairmeadow project
- Find the lot width first. Munster's CD-3.R1 and CD-3.R2 districts are keyed to 70-foot and 60-foot lots, and the difference decides how much of the side yard is usable.
- Pull the recorded plat for your specific addition. Platted building lines survive re-zoning and are the most common reason a rear or side addition has to move.
- Rear additions read best on these houses — the streetscape is uniform enough that a front-facing bump-out looks wrong from the curb even when it is allowed.
- Ranch roofs from this era take a rear shed or gable extension cleanly; matching the existing roof pitch is what keeps an addition from looking bolted on.
- Detached garage replacements are a frequent scope here. Confirm the accessory structure standards and the fence and setback amendments the town has made since 2019.
- Flat lots drain slowly. Plan grading and downspout discharge with the addition rather than after it, or the new roof area becomes the neighbor's problem.
FAQ
Questions about Fairmeadow
Keep exploring
Other Munster neighborhoods
Sources
- Town of Munster Community Development
- Munster Chapter 26 Character-Based Zoning Code (PDF)
- Munster Plan Commission
- Munster Board of Zoning Appeals
- Munster residential permit application (PDF)
- Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission — Munster levee inspection
- Munster document center — Fairmeadow 31st Addition
- Munster document center — Fairmeadow 8th Addition
- Munster Parks & Recreation
Start your project
Planning an addition or ADU in Fairmeadow?
Tell us about your lot and what you're hoping to do. We'll write back within one business day.