Gary is tearing down the past to build its future.

With $12 million in state, private, and federal funding, Gary’s demolition and redevelopment efforts are already underway, with the first structures coming this year as the city works to clear unsafe buildings, attract businesses, and reshape downtown.

The first phase will target abandoned properties in key areas like Broadway, the RailCats Stadium district, and Jackson Park, while preserving historic sites for future development. Mayor Eddie Melton’s administration, in partnership with urban planners and transit officials, envisions a walkable, transit-connected downtown with new businesses, public spaces, and infrastructure upgrades. But while funding ensures demolition can begin, local leaders say real revitalization depends on community involvement to prevent blight from creeping back.

The foundation for this redevelopment push was laid during Melton’s tenure as state senator, when he authored Senate Bill 434, which established a blight property demolition fund for Lake County, specifically Gary. The match grant programs allow the city to use state funds to remove depleted structures for potential new development.

“Being born and raised in Gary, most of these buildings were abandoned when I was a little kid, so that’s all I seen and all I knew,” Melton said, emphasizing the lack of resources as to why some of these structures have still remained standing. “We’re getting ready to create a clean slate for a future generation of folks that will see a safer and cleaner Gary.”

Before taking office, Melton and the city of Gary collaborated with the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture to create a 10-year master plan for downtown revitalization. Through community listening sessions and urban planning sessions, the school’s Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative created a sustainable plan that attracts new businesses and talent, creates a safe and walkable downtown with quality public spaces, and provides multimodal transportation with access to Indiana Dunes National Park or Chicago. 

The law passed in 2023, enabling the city to secure state and federal funding to spearhead the project. All Gary had to do was raise the $12 million needed to jump-start the program, and that hasn’t been a problem.

Early last year, the Hard Rock Casino of Northwest Indiana pledged $3 million, matching funds the city had already secured. By the end of 2024, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) contributed $6 million dollars to support Gary’s blight removal efforts.

“We think Gary has great potential, and we’re happy to help them any way we can,” said David Wellman, RDA’s director of communication. 

Phase 1: Clearing the path for growth

Gary’s downtown is the first target for redevelopment.

“Within the boundaries, we’re focusing on the most dangerous structures that needs to be demolished and make it site-ready,” Melton said.

Some buildings will be demolished, while others that can be salvaged will be. Among key sites in this phase are the Mecca building at the corner of Fourth and Broadway, and the back half of the Palace Theater. A developer has already begun plans to convert the remaining portion of the Palace Theater into a mix of retail and residential space.

“Everything that’s burnt out, abandoned, or dilapidated is what our primary target is,” Melton said, with his primary goal being safety and the best use of building renewal or removal from an economic development standpoint, while maintaining some historical integrity in architectural designs. 

According to city officials and the RDA, this phase should be completed within the year, beginning as soon as weather permits. The redevelopment plan also reinvests property and income tax revenue into infrastructure projects, including sidewalks, public spaces, and parks, to improve quality of life.

Community input 

For many residents, the city’s blight removal initiative is a positive step forward — but lasting change, they say, will take more than bulldozers. 

“I think [the city’s redevelopment plan] will definitely address the problem,” said Jeffrey Edwards, founder of Gary Community Partnership.“You can clean up a city, but if its residents have the wrong [mindset] to sustain the effort, you just throw away good money.”

Edwards said he believes revitalization is as much about people as it is about buildings. His nonprofit trains teenagers ages 13 to 18 in civic responsibility, teaching them to clean up vacant lots, maintain properties, and take ownership of their neighborhoods.

“Your environment is a full, true determinant of health,” he said.” It’s not just removing trash, but it’s literally determining the health of the people who live in the community.”

Like Edwards, Penelope Love, president of the Aetna Revitalization Program, believes that blight removal must be a shared responsibility between the city and its residents.

Love, who has led neighborhood cleanups and advocated for demolitions, praised Melton’s hands-on involvement in community efforts. But she also knows that city action alone won’t be enough.

Her organization began as a grassroots effort when she and her neighbors, eager to improve their neighborhood, took action — cutting grass around neglected homes, lobbying for demolitions, and transforming vacant lots into gardens.

“We’re not just throwing some money at something again,” Love said. “But we’re putting it in places that make it attract and make people want to come down here.”

End goal

Gary is in contention to become the next home of the Lake County Convention Center, making the blight removal project a natural step to prepare the city for its potential future. The removal of blight will open the door to new businesses, transportation, and residences for current and future residents.

“We’re going to be thoughtful and intentional on making Gary a safer community, free from blight,” Melton said.