The sound of hammers and conversation filled the corner of Washington Street and 22nd Avenue on Friday as dozens of Gary residents gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of Brothers’ Keeper’s new homeless shelter. Isaac Mootye, Brothers’ Keeper executive director, greeted guests and officials with a smile on his face. Ahead stood the new construction site […]
Redevelopment
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Redevelopment
As Gary Pursues New Development, a Black-Owned Landmark Is Fighting to Survive
The meetings had been going well. For months in early 2025, attorney Macarthur Drake and his family met with Gary officials about the future of downtown Broadway. The conversations centered on how the city planned to protect Drake’s building at 487 Broadway while demolishing the vacant structure next door. Four meetings. Maybe five. Each one […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Housing, Politics & Policy, Redevelopment
Melton Outlines ‘Next Chapter’ for Gary in His Third State of the City Address
In his first State of the City address, delivered shortly after taking office, Mayor Eddie Melton laid out a vision for Gary’s future. A year later, he highlighted major development wins, including a $60 million FedEx distribution center, as the city competed for the Lake County Convention Center. On Tuesday, in his third address, Melton […]
Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy, Redevelopment
How Gary Lost a $5 Billion Jackson Family Theme Park Deal
For a brief moment in the mid-1990s, Gary stood on the edge of a radically different future. City leaders and members of the Jackson family began discussing plans for a theme park in Gary, an idea that soon expanded into something far more ambitious. Envisioned as a destination on par with Graceland, the home of […]
Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy, Redevelopment
Gary Takes Next Step on $100 Million Lake County Convention Center
Gary officials moved a long-discussed Lake County Convention Center closer to reality, approving a key step that allows the city to begin negotiating costs for the project planned next to the Hard Rock Casino. At its March 24 meeting, the Gary Common Council approved a resolution allowing the city to begin working with a selected […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services, Redevelopment
Gary Is Betting Faster Graffiti Removal Can Stop It From Spreading
Bright pink and soft blue bubble letters stretch across the brick façade of the now-closed New Angel of Faith Missionary Baptist Church. The graffiti spreads across the building’s red brick and glass block windows, facing south toward Fifth Avenue, where cars and trucks rumble along the one-way street. Graffiti has long been a familiar sight […]
Posted inRedevelopment
Citywide Demolition Plans to Clear Dozens of Unsafe Buildings
Snow fell lightly Monday as an excavator’s steel claw hovered and tore through a century-old house, shattering windows and siding that had been warped by years of neglect. The three-story home, which once stood at 674 Harrison St., was the first of 60 structures to fall during this year’s Citywide Blight Blitz scheduled to take […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Safety, Redevelopment
Gary Secures $1.1 Million to Demolish Long-Abandoned West Side School
Abandoned school buildings have been among the biggest thorns in Gary’s side, standing as hulking reminders of decline. While some buildings have been torn down, the scale of the problem has continued to grow faster than funding to address it. Now, the city will use newly awarded congressional funding totaling $1.1 million to demolish the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Redevelopment, Sports
Chicago Bears Weigh Indiana as Gary Unveils Detailed Stadium Proposal
For the first time in decades, Gary officials say they are offering more than just a nearby location in talks about bringing the Chicago Bears to Northwest Indiana. This time, they say they have a financial plan they believe Illinois cannot match. On Thursday, city leaders unveiled a proposal that lays out how Gary could […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy, Redevelopment
Aetna Sees Hope as Gary Shifts From Demolition to Homebuilding
Community members strolled down the sidewalk on East 10th Avenue last week to a home that represented a stepping stone in the city’s redevelopment efforts. A breeze of hope blew through the small crowd of people gathered outside the new house at 5544 E 10th Ave. “Today is such a joyous day. It’s been a […]
