Gary officials, including Mayor Eddie Melton, announced a partnership with the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture to develop a transformative master plan for revitalizing downtown Gary.
Speaking at an empty lot near the Genesis Towers, Melton outlined his vision for downtown, featuring a new train station to replace the Adam Benjamin Metro Center on Fourth Avenue.
“We will have a brand-new train station in the next few years,” Melton said Tuesday afternoon. “I want to thank Governor [Eric] Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly for supporting Senate Bill 434, which will provide us with matching funds to build a brand-new metro station, but also the matching dollars for blight elimination for downtown Gary.”
As a state senator, Melton authored SB 434, one of his last legislative efforts. The bill established a fund for demolishing blighted properties within current or future transit development districts, including the area surrounding the Gary Metro Center.
According to Melton, $12 million has been designated for blight elimination, with $6 million provided by the state and the rest coming from a combination of $3 million in city funds matched by $3 million from the Hard Rock Casino.
Chris Harris, Gary’s director of redevelopment, highlighted the importance of honoring the architectural heritage of downtown Gary.
“We have the opportunity to redevelop our city in a way that respects our city’s architectural identity,” he said. “Thanks to Mayor Melton’s Senate Bill 434, we can remove blight and rebuild our downtown in a manner that is beautiful and not monotonous.”
“This collaboration with the Notre Dame School of Architecture provides the opportunity to intentionally plan a broader, walkable, mixed-use downtown, creating a more robust environment than the traditional corridor development that existed here in downtown Gary along Broadway and Fifth Avenue.”
Marianne Cusato, director of Notre Dame’s Housing & Community Regeneration Initiative, described the initiative as a “think and do tank” that works with municipalities and nonprofits throughout the Midwest to address the impact of decades of unjust infrastructure and housing policies that have left downtowns across the region in a state of disrepair.
“The issues you face in Gary are serious,” Cusato said. “But they are not insurmountable.”
The initiative has worked with multiple municipalities within a 100-mile radius of the Notre Dame campus, including LaPorte, Elkhart, and Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In Gary, listening sessions will be held Aug. 5 and Aug. 9. Community members are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts and vision for the downtown plan. This will be followed by presentations made the week of Aug. 12.
