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City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Adoption Draft - October 2019 Placeholder photo

ii Table of Contents

Acknowledgements...... iv Introduction...... 1 Engagement + Planning Process...... 14 Guiding Principles...... 10 How Did We Get Here?...... 24 Where We Are Now?...... 36 Planning Frameworks...... 128 Appendix A: Economic Report ...... Appendix B: Green Infrastructure Plan ...... Appendix C: Plan Summaries......

iii Acknowledgements

A lot of hard work was done long before the City started to prepare this Comprehensive Plan. This plan is the result of recent public engagement and data analysis, but really builds on previous planning work like the University Park East Blueprint for Change and the Green Link Master Plan. We would like to acknowledge the following for their efforts in making sure we got it right. These are the people responsible for the planning document that follows.

Over 2,000 Gary residents attended meetings or workshops, gave feedback on their own before City staff facilitated a single filled out surveys, commented at public meetings, and workshop or meeting. Thank you Tyrell Anderson, Kelly Anoe, participated in the creation of this plan and other plans on Ken Barry, Peggy Blackwell, Alger Boswell, LaShawn Brooks, which this one was built. Anthony Cherry, Tonya Carter Sanders, James Dillon, Lori Gonzalez, Emmett Harris, Bernard Hawkins, Chet Johnson, The City of Gary Common Council were huge supporters of Katie Kirley, Lori Latham, Esther Lewis, Simon Lillie, Sam our work, attended meetings, shared information with our Love, Brian Lyter, Sheileita Miller, Saba Mohammed, Lauren residents, and contributed ideas throughout the eighteen- Pacheco, Burgess Peoples, Jessica Renslow, Brenda Scott- and . month planning process. A big thank you to President Ron Henry, Gretchen Sipp, Cynthia Williams, Dwight Williams Brewer, and Councilmembers Linda Barnes-Caldwell, Mary Brown, Mike Brown, Michael Protho, Carolyn Rogers, Herb The City of Gary Department of Planning & Redevelopment Smith, LaVetta Sparks-Wade, and Rebecca Wyatt. staff worked hard to set up meetings, mine data, hold workshops, make copies, organize notes, reach out to residents, answer questions, coordinate outreach, and prepare this document. Our Community Advisory Committee, helped us direct this initiative from the start and tapped into the knowledge of many A great big thank you goes out to Linda Baker, Mike Citro, residents, business owners, and visitors to Gary who might not Sylvia Collins, Devon Dorsey, Saleem El-Amin, Simmie Fluker, have otherwise participated. They informed our direction from Alex Koerner, Cedric Kuykendall, Jacquelyn Lynon, Carrol the beginning, helped us prioritize what was important, and Pirtle, Robyn Robb, Derreka Rollins, Sam Salvesen, Jeraldine went above and beyond to make sure this plan incorporates the Williams, Ni’Avia Wilson, and Jasmine Wright. voices of a wide breadth of residents. The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) conducted meetings, set up surveys, and iv The City of Gary Redevelopment Commission funded this Lincoln Chandler (Chandler Decision Services), Richard project and provided guidance and input. Thank you so much, Leverett (former City of Gary Chief of Staff), Carol Brown and Kenya Jones, Namon Flournoy, Eric Reaves, Pastor Marion Jocelyn Hare (University of Chicago), and Tarik Abdelazim Johnson, Bill Joiner, Jeremiah King, and Adam Hall. This plan (Center for Community Progress) were early advocates for really would never have been done without your support. better data collection and helped us create a strong backbone with the Gary Counts initiative. City of Gary Department Leadership provided feedback, attended meetings, shared data, fact-checked, assisted The Gary Housing Authority, contributed data and plans, volunteers, and contributed their time to make sure this plan through the eager assistance of Julian Marsh, Taryl Bonds, and accurately reflects the City’s priorities. Thank you so much, Terry Mims. Dayna Bennett, Dan Vicari, Duane Hayden, Arlene Colvin, LaShawn Brooks, Bo Kemp, Brenda Scott-Henry, Diana Raimi + Associates (Berkeley, CA), through the leadership of Sandlin, LaLosa Burns, Celita Green, Angie Hayes, Paul Eric Yurkovich and Alessandra Lundin, really drove the entire Bradley, Cloteal LaBroi, Rachelle Ceaser, Deborah Delk, initiative from start to finish; they truly managed the creation Shirley Hawkins, Nate George, Lloyd Keith, Niquelle Allen of this plan despite “abstract” direction from the City of Gary Winfrey, Rodney Pol, Greg Thomas, Joi Whiteside, Mary Hurt, team. To them, we are eternally grateful. Martin Brown, Anissa Smith, and countless others.

The Delta Institute (Chicago, IL), in particular Martin Brown, Former Mayors Richard Hatcher, Thomas Barnes, Scott King, conducted hours of analysis to inform our natural context and Dozier Allen all lent their insights by participating in the section and the Green Infrastructure Plan. Living Mayor’s Roundtable in 2019. We truly appreciate their willingness to offer us the wisdom of their collective experience. Volte Strategy (Detroit, MI), through the work of Karla Henderson and Brian Watkins, helped envision this project The good people at the Gary Parks Department, the Glen from its inception as we began our public engagement efforts Park Blind Social Center, the Gary Teachers Union on Virginia and informed economic development policy as we planned. Street, Gary ArtHouse, City Life Center, the Midtown YWCA, and Beacon Life Church in Black Oak were all kind enough to open their community spaces to us, so we could conduct Fourth Economy Consulting (Pittsburgh, PA), led by Jerry workshops in each of our city’s neighborhoods. Thank you for Paytas, provided thoughtful and creative economic analysis, your hospitality. while he and Chelsea Burket helped us frame this exercise from the start.

The Gary Public Transportation Corporation, in particular David Wright, was extremely helpful in providing information and input throughout the process.

v Dynamo Metrics (Detroit, MI) has been a partner to the City Aj Bytnar, Gary’s Director of Redevelopment helped us of Gary since long before this project started. Ben Calnin and contextualize this, despite inheriting an imperfect product. We Nigel Griswold spent literally years helping the Planning & cannot thank Aj enough for picking this plan up, adding finishing Redevelopment Department build a data system, utilize the touches, and taking this entire exercise from concept to reality newly gathered information, and conduct thorough analyses as he leads Gary’s redevelopment efforts into the future. that greatly informed our land use decisions and economic development policies; the G-STADS system they created is still Finally, we could not have completed this plan without the utilized by the City as we make tactical decisions every day. leadership of Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson who made it a priority to create a single, comprehensive, consistent vision for Ancel Glink, through the creativity and leadership of David the City of Gary’s future. Silverman and Kurt Asprooth, helped inform our land use decisions; they will continue working with the City of Gary to There were literally thousands of people across Gary who revise our zoning ordinance based on this plan. contributed to this document and we regret that each cannot be listed individually. For everyone that ever attended a meeting, Gretchen Sipp helped us immensely by gathering community made a phone call, contributed an idea, or simply lived their feedback and enabling us to share our progress with residents lives in Gary to make our city go, we really appreciate it. It never on social media and through her substantial network of ceases to amaze us just how much the people of our community volunteers and active neighbors. truly care about making it better. Thank you.

Wendy Vachet of Michael Baker, International was absolutely - Joe van Dyk integral to this process by generating content, collecting and City of Gary Director of Planning & Redevelopment reviewing data, and making decisions while Lu Ann May could (2013-2019) not be more helpful with data management and map making, often at a moment’s notice.

Jack Eskin, former Deputy Director of Redevelopment, led much of the early work on this project and single-handedly pulled together the Natural Context section and Green Infrastructure Plan.

Sarah Kobetis, Gary’s former Director of Planning, co-managed this project and contributed countless hours of work, creativity, and problem-solving, despite an extremely full work load in the planning and zoning office.

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viii City of Gary Comprehensive Plan allows theCity to address theseconcerns inathoughtful,adaptableway. current-daycontext, createsflexible, frameworkand a long-range planning that and historic their within them rather,places issues; pressingit these awayfrom shy not does plan This properties. blighted and populations, declining deficits, This plan recognizes the many challenges facing the City, including structural action, andrebuild for Gary thefuture. generational wealth. It is a flexible tool to share information, encourage collective building and base growovertax city’spopulationincreasing the the while time, the uniqueopportunities,challenges,andrealities ofthecity. The planseeksto that its residents reflects and Gary flexiblepresents futurea of the for roadmap This Comprehensive Plan guides thelong-term transition oftheCityGary. It introduction chapter 1 chapter

1 1.0 INTRODUCTION While these challenges will continue to persist, the plan attempts Gary Comprehensive Plan to neighborhood action plans to build upon significant progress across the community. to community-led collective impact initiatives. Rather than Union Station renovation, US Steel investment, ArtHouse disregard past efforts, we embraced them. This document programs, and the City’s 5x5x5 clean-up initiatives represent builds on those efforts. It includes old ideas and new ones. It the collective determination of the city’s residents, businesses, lists priorities based on up-to-date information and community and government to improve and invest in the community each input from all over Gary. Most importantly, this document does individual loves. This plan captures these collective aspirations not prescribe what has to happen; rather, it enables change, and actions within the realities of the city. adapts to market conditions, and leads the way for a flexible, longer-term regulatory framework to promote growth and At its core, the plan is a long-range tool to guide citywide policy improve the quality of life for the city’s residents and businesses. decisions about land use, transportation, and environmental issues. The plan is a unified vision for the future and a blueprint for how Gary will promote growth and adapt to change. This plan PROCESS AND KEY is the product of years of plans prior, community engagement, and historical successes and failures. It is intended to be easily FINDINGS understood, enabling and flexible to new ideas that emerge, and to provide a needed road map for the City of Gary’s zoning ordinance and development code. This plan: Our review of past efforts helped guide our public engagement and the plan creation. We found long wish lists, largely unfilled, • Consolidates all existing plans – informal and formal – into while some fundamentals to zoning and regulations went a single document. It incorporates what is already working unaddressed. We found really good inventories and analyses and includes updated community feedback and emerging and helpful community input but without much connection to ideas that adapt to Gary’s evolving reality. other efforts or coherence between them. And we found that • Provides a guide to regulations that are flexible and many of Gary’s most evident realities of vacancy, blight, change, adaptable to guide ordinances and zoning regulations that growth, and investment needed to be thoughtfully addressed both foster growth and adapt to change. with better data. Building publicly-accessible mapping tools, we analyzed • Creates a blueprint for investment (both public and tax collection rates, population changes, and existing assets private) that supports the priorities of Gary’s residents and from a variety of City and regional sources. At the same time, businesses. community leaders used the data to lead discussions on When we set out to create an updated Comprehensive Plan quality of life issues like civic engagement, parks, arts, and for the City of Gary, we strove to ensure this document’s utility small business. We synthesized all that information and put beyond the City’s Department of Planning & Redevelopment for everything in a single place so we could have meaningful years to come. Many plans had been written, many discarded, conversations with residents. Over three months, City staff and few implemented. We asked: why do so many plans sit on met with residents across fourteen neighborhoods, discussing shelves without action, despite robust input from citizens and priorities and ideas for the city and their neighborhoods. The good suggestions put forth by planners and City leaders? following key findings emerged. We reviewed each of Gary’s plans, from the most recent 2008

2 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan KEY FINDINGS 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

Gary inthefuture.Gary Largely vacant residential areas canserve anew role for of thecity was built andzoned for single-family housing. US Steel Works Gary at fullcapacity. That meansmost most ofGary, thephysical footprint was built to support There isnotenoughlanddesignated for employment. Like in GlenPark. Gary-Chicago International Airport,andalongBroadway Indiana University Northwest, Downtown, around Lake Street, the and in benefit existing community anchorsandactivitycenters like greatest the serve Investments our infrastructure andmanageflooding. who enjoy them, and provide potential as we modernize Gary’s extensive natural assets are both valued by residents residents inneighborhoodworkshops. condition, physical namely blight,was thenumberoneconcern voiced by city’s the maintain; to hard it makes Residents and business owners are worried that Gary’s size neighborhoods. and beyond, considering awiderange ofusesinthese housing for mill workers. We need to adapt to Gary in 2019 now emptyandnolongerserve theiroriginalpurpose of different cityintime. Formerly denseresidential streets are Many were neighborhoods inGary builtfor anentirely Placeholder photo

3 1.0 INTRODUCTION HOW THE PLAN WAS CREATED

The “plan” part of this document lives in Chapter 6, presented through land use, transportation, and natural environment frameworks. The neighborhood plans for each subarea of the city contain maps and overviews that present future conditions and potential projects. They are meant as a flexible, adaptable guide to the city’s future and build on existing plans, current initiatives, and new data and information.

Downtown provides an example of how this plan was built.

FINAL PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN

4 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 1 plans, andofficialplanspreviously adopted Gary by the Common Council, includingtheLivable Centers Plan. multiple projects and public engagement efforts. We pulled viable ideas from neighborhood-level plans, community-based Existing plans for the area were reviewed for ideas and recommendations. They were then vetted to find consistencies across

5 1.0 INTRODUCTION Existing conditions and ongoing initiatives were added to ensure continued momentum and that current projects are considered 2 as we plan for the future.

6 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 3 review provide opportunitiesto enablechangeandadaptto Gary’s future. another warranted conditions existing Gary’s where or unexplored,previously were that areas The leaders. community and Where decisionshadnot been madeor existing recommendation were outdated, we looked at data andspoke withresidents TRANSITION TOEMPLOYMENT TRANSITION TOEMPLOYMENT TRANSITION TOEMPLOYMENT FLEXIBLE RESIDENTIAL/

7 1.0 INTRODUCTION STATUTORY AUTHORITY

Indiana Code Title 36 Local Government § 36-7-4-502 requires that a comprehensive plan must contain at least the following elements:

• A statement of objectives for the future development of the jurisdiction. • A statement of policy for the land use development of the jurisdiction. • A statement of policy for the development of public ways, public places, public lands, public structures, and public utilities. This plan exceeds these minimum requirements and includes a Land Use Plan, Transportation Plan, and Green Infrastructure Plan to accomplish these requirements.

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8 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Placeholder photo

9 1.0 INTRODUCTION Placeholder image

10 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN planning process engagement & engagement chapter 2 chapter

11 3.1 BUILT ENVIRONMENT Our engagement and planning process was broken into three Along with data analysis, we analyzed current plans within the phases: data collection, City-led public outreach, and production. city. We looked at the most recent 2008 Comprehensive Plan, During the data collection phase, we gathered information from a robust inventory of neighborhood demographics, property existing plans, priority projects, and the Community Advisory characteristics, and community profiles. We reviewed smaller- Committee. Beginning in 2015, in partnership with the Gary scale plans like the East Lakefront District Plan and Livable Sanitary District, the Gary Redevelopment Commission worked Centers projects done as recently as five years ago. We also to create a system, the Gary Space-Time Analytic Data System reviewed recent neighborhood initiative reports from Miller (G-STADS), to analyze City data across geographic space and Spotlight, Emerson Spotlight, and the University Park East time. After three hard years of work, G-STADS was created. Blueprint for Change. We asked ourselves: 1.) What works and We utilized this tool to access neighborhood and block-level what doesn’t?; 2.) What ideas have been actively implemented information for land use analysis. We also used G-STADS to and what ideas stay ideas? Why? create data that we shared with residents while conducting neighborhood workshops, to empower citizens by allowing Through the earlier planning projects, there had been a lot them access to the same information City leaders use. of community input. We wanted to honor those efforts by incorporating old ideas, while eliciting new ones through

FIGURE 2-1. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS

12 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN and ideas. synthesized community inputandcreated aplanthat draws from thenew data we meetings, those of conclusion Atworkshops.the neighborhood City-ledto to take to ourcommunities andestablished key imperatives, aswe proceeded language common a developed We City Team. the to findings their reported foundational elements onwhichthisplanisbuilt.After almost ayear, theCAC in withCitystaff andeachotherprovide insight,informing someofthe check- periodically would members CAC networks. existing their in members groups at their churches, community centers, and parks and with community conversation. Broken into topic-specific groups, the alter to the person staff City official an CACpresenceof the without forthright and held meetings and focus We wanted to ensure community membersfelt comfortable beinghonest officials. City from participation absent efforts, engagement early very the led terms. The Community Advisory Committee (or CAC, aswe cameto know it) community leadersto askquestions andtalkaboutthecity’s future ontheirown comprehensive plancommunity engagement.We empowered volunteer www.garycounts.org data ispubliclyavailable at: SanitaryDistrictat theGary andmost The G-STADS system iscurrently housed

13 2.0 ENGAGEMENT + PLANNING PROCESS THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)

Consisting of two dozen community leaders, the CAC met periodically from February to November of 2018 to inform key elements of the plan and to report back on what they were hearing in the community. Due to the strong culture of volunteerism already present in Gary, the CAC drew on knowledge of existing networks and tapped into conversations that were already taking place throughout our city. The CAC helped the City Team define our priorities around issues such as small business, arts and culture, and public safety and informed recommendations about land uses – the focus of neighborhood- level meetings held in the Spring of 2019. The CAC focused on five areas as described in the following section. Placeholder image

14 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Works. Life Center,andRachelleMorganCeaser,Gary’s DeputyDirectorofPublic The CivicssubcommitteewaschairedbyKenBarry, ExecutiveDirectorofCity people. through mentorships, fellowship programs, anddeliberate inclusionofyoung the of need the highlighting City’s existing institutions to train and include the next generation ofleadership essentially engagement, of “lanes” suggested officials, information sharing, acommon themeinnearlyallCAC subcommittees. They appointed or elected and better utilization of social media and modern means of communication, and citizens between one- interactions more included one-one meetings those from came that recommendations The how to getinvolved ifinterested. team acknowledged alackofunderstanding inhow decisionsare madeand teamwork across City institutions andneighborhoodgroups. Overall, thecivics of resentment haddeveloped dueto alackofconsistent communication and a creates barrier to anew generation ofleadership. Cityleadership The civicsteam recognized asense of network an existing that a perception identified be better integrated inmunicipaldecisionmakingandgovernment life. They in Downtown Gary, anddiscussed ways to ensure could thepeopleofGary in citydecisionmaking.” They metseveral times,mostly at CityLife Center young people, they defined civic engagement as “citizens actively participating decision makers andeveryday residents. Focusing largely onmillennialsand and thebroader community, lookingfor ways to actively bridgethegapbetween The subcommittee oncivicsdiscussed thedisconnect between Citygovernment FOCUS AREA I:CIVICENGAGEMENT benefit. resourcesRenotoidentify Janet toGary’s He office. in discussed meetingwithAttorney time General his during city clean priority to project theimageofasafe, public safety andhow itwas hishighest Mayor Kingdiscussed theperception of who recommended anotheroperator. objection from theCityselection committee one ofthecasinoboats despite strong local had inchoosingDonaldTrump to operate State the role the mentioned He two. first Indiana’s of State the Gary, in casinos two Mayor Barnesdiscussed the openingof in thecivilrightsmovement. through connections hemadeasaleader his abilityto receive federal attention, tobringing Gary thenational stage and of talkedMayor Hatcher 1960s. officelate the in took he when occurring was that he inherited andthe climate ofchange black first mayor, nation’s described the very dividedcity the Hatcher, Mayor course ofa90-minute forum. the over CEO City’s the as perspectives Wilson discussed from Gary theirunique King, Dozier Allen,Jr., andKaren Freeman- Gordon Hatcher, Thomas V. Barnes,Scott Comprehensive Plan.Mayors Richard Gary’s public engagementprocess for the of at Indiana each University Northwest, gathered aspartofthe mayors 2019, living of five January In LIVING MAYORSROUNDTABLE

15 2.0 ENGAGEMENT + PLANNING PROCESS FOCUS AREA II: HEALTH, SAFETY FOCUS AREA III: ARTS AND AND WELLNESS CULTURE

The health, safety, and wellness subcommittee covered a Gary’s robust artist community and tradition led to a substantive wide breadth of topics. Through over 100 surveys, and several contribution from the subcommittee on arts and culture. Often small meetings, the team honed in on a common theme: working in concert with the parks subcommittee, the arts communication. Better communication was identified as a and culture team identified “a great diversity of interests and tool needed to access healthy food, share news on community talents” yet a lack of full understanding of Gary’s artistic legacy. events, or distribute information on accessibility initiatives. A tension exists “around the perceptions of ‘outsourcing’ arts The team wanted the city to be accessible to all generations. opportunities” perceived at the expense of local artists. Cuts to There were concerns about emergency preparedness and the school system’s arts programs were mentioned and a lack management of public safety funds, and questions about how of communication was cited as a barrier to a better functioning to access public safety information. Many recent construction arts community. The arts and culture subcommittee reported projects, some private some public, did not include universal that Downtown arts programming, namely murals, were very design standards, essentially precluding participation from all popular among young people but older residents had mixed residents, particularly the elderly or disabled. Finally, the group opinions. identified a need for better water safety, in light of problems with beach safety that occurred over the summer of 2018. The arts and culture team expressed a need for help with permitting and navigating bureaucracy. They suggested Recommendations focused on information sharing. Better “centralization” of information for guests to learn about utilization of social media, follow-through via email from City upcoming events or even the creation of an arts district workers, and more public meetings were all suggested. The museum. Each neighborhood’s unique culture was cited as a team recommended a quality control mechanism to ensure benefit, and it was suggested that the City could help facilitate communication delivery systems are ADA compliant. One communication among them. The team saw the City’s role as suggestion was to hire a full-time City employee to focus hosting more events and connecting artists with opportunities, on issues of accessibility and ADA compliance, and holding helping artists gain greater exposure in the process. contractors accountable for work done improperly in that regard. The subcommittee suggested a greater focus on public The Arts and Culture subcommittee was chaired by Sam Love, safety training and the need for “Gary police, fire and first former secretary of the Calumet Artist Residency. responders…to collaborate with community advocates to help collectively address public safety concerns and pursue funding impacting” Gary.

The Health, Safety, and Wellness subcommittee was chaired by Jessica Renslow, Community Builder.

16 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Gretchen Sipp,BAB,andCynthiaWilliams,Chief Idea InstigatoratIdeationZone. The SmallBusinessandEntrepreneurshipsubcommittee waschairedby from Citygovernment. businesses that show they cansustain themselves withjust alittleassistance new leadership in the city. Finally, they recommended City-led programs to fund a revamped chamberofcommerce to helpsupportnew businesses andfoster to match opportunitieswithactivitiesinthebusiness sector. They suggested cited aneedfor better communication andthedevelopment ofapeernetwork to better facilitate entrepreneurship andrepurposing ofolderproperties. They The smallbusiness group suggested more relaxed zoning laws andregulation in thecity. vacantproperties,despitethe there are few move-in readycommercial spaces particularly inlightofsomuchblight,makes ithard to start abusiness and, of Gary, Perception improvement. significant needs community business the Gary’s smallbusiness infrastructure isoutdated andthesupportsystem among add new businesses, especiallyDowntown. They acknowledged that alotof to opportunity and benefit potential a as vacancy high the saw and attribute special, andwhere itcould improve. They recognized Gary’s location asakey small business subcommittee looked at what madeGary’s business climate Through aseriesofprogressively more involved workshops andsurveys, the ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOCUS AREA IV: SMALLBUSINESS AND that followed. workshops heldcitywide over theweeks event, directly preceding neighborhood outreach Comprehensive Plan official first The well attended event served asthe the progress madeduringhertenure. each ofthepast mayors acknowledged Mayor Freeman-Wilson moderated and student at Valparaiso University. met Mayor he Hatcher, whowas theonlyotherblack when beginning official, course ofhissixty-plus years asanelected and how had changedover Gary the described alongcareer inpublicservice Mayor Allen,theseniorstatesmen, (continued) LIVING MAYORSROUNDTABLE

17 2.0 ENGAGEMENT + PLANNING PROCESS FOCUS AREA V: PARKS AND NEIGHBORHOOD OPEN SPACE WORKSHOPS

The parks team honed in on a fundamental paradox: there are Over the winter and spring of 2019, the City of Gary Department plenty of public spaces for residents, but simply not enough of Planning & Redevelopment held workshops across the city, resources to maintain them all. “Dirty,” “depressing,” and “unsafe” covering each of Gary’s 14 neighborhood planning areas. We were frequently mentioned and conditions vary from park reviewed map data collected via the G-STADS, discussed to park. “A frequent complaint is the lack of open swimming recommendations made in previous plans, and held open pools and dangerous conditions caused by unused pools,” the forums to discuss each neighborhood’s future. Workshops team reported. They mentioned litter and even that park recent ranged from small groups of a dozen people in Brunswick Park renovations received “mixed results.” Residents are tending to over 50 people packing Marquette Park Pavilion in Miller and to parks themselves, and many suggested parks privatization the Midtown YWCA. Residents, business owners, and elected might be a consideration. Exercise and sports were cited as the officials drew on maps, discussed characteristics unique to most popular activities, though many residents also appreciated their respective neighborhoods, and voices both concerns and quiet, ecologically-significant areas as well. opportunities. After the neighborhood workshops, the data collected from the nearly 300 residents who participated was The parks team suggested local artists may be good partners incorporated into the land use and transportation frameworks for programming and park improvements. They also suggested found in Chapter 6 of this document. continuing partnerships with ecological groups could help preserve open space and build on natural assets. The term “back to nature” evoked weeds and unkempt playgrounds, though “urban forests” and “natural preserves” evoked Gary’s rich natural legacy. The team suggested an opportunity also exists for centralized communication by the City and local groups to better foster collective impact and manage the overburdened parks system. The Parks Department was cited as an excellent resource and a huge asset to making positive change, despite years of underfunding and disinvestment.

The Parks and Open Space subcommittee was chaired by Sam Love, former secretary of the Calumet Artist Residency and Nate George, City of Gary Parks Superintendent.

18 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Photo Caption Placeholder image process. throughout thecommunity engagement for theirattendance andsupport Thank you to ourCityCouncilmembers

19 2.0 ENGAGEMENT + PLANNING PROCESS Placeholder photo

20 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

chapter 3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 3.0 guiding principles

Through community visioning and input from the Community Advisory Committee and the City Team, the Comprehensive Plan articulates a series of guiding principles. The principles connect the overarching themes with the plan’s Land Use, Transportation, and Green Infrastructure Plans. These principles reflect the priorities of residents as articulated through public engagement and previous planning work and establish a reference point for community members and decision makers as policies are developed and projects are reviewed.

21 1. Grow Gary’s Population. A growing city reflects a healthy economy, vibrant community, and high quality of life. Planning decisions, land use policies, and regulations will encourage and foster population growth. Placeholder photo

2. Increase the City’s Tax Base. Years of disinvestment and population loss have decimated city services and left residents to deal with blight and deterioration. In order to restore a level of service and quality of life befitting of Gary, economic development Placeholder photo and land use policies will encourage investment and the associated increases in Gary’s assessed valuation to increase tax revenue.

3. Build Generational Wealth. As Gary’s population decreased, many of its wealthier and talented residents left. An entire generation of Garyites built their lives on the promise of the steel industry, only to have global economic forces undermine that promise. Placeholder photo The city will foster wealth building from within through education, knowledge exchanges, supporting talent, and creating opportunities that build on Gary’s existing community without displacing it.

22 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 4. Gary Defines Gary. Gary has a talented community, boundless opportunities, natural beauty, and momentum. Decision makers, volunteers, and citizens must act as advocates for our city. Too often, outside (often misinformed) perceptions Placeholder photo infiltrate our own opinions of Gary. 3.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 3.0

5. Improve Connectivity and Information Sharing. Universally, there is good work going on in each neighborhood of the city. Our local government, business owners, and neighbors must focus on collective action through better communication. The City will play a key role Placeholder photo in facilitating collaboration and sharing opportunities and information.

6. Keep an Open Mind. As we move into our next phase of evolution and rebuild Gary for the future, residents must be open to new possibilities, many of which we cannot predict today. By looking forward and embracing change, we will rebuild Placeholder photo our city into something beautiful that serves the next generation.

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24 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN chapter 4 4.0 HOW DID WE GET HERE HOW 4.0 how did we get here?

Present-day Gary was originally a system of dunes and wetlands extending south from the Lake Michigan shoreline. A transitional point between land and water, the landscape is composed of parallel ridges with marshy depressions formed by glaciers and receding coastlines approximately 14,000 years ago. At the convergence of three major ecological biomes, this rare, federally-protected coastal ecosystem is an area of high biodiversity, with a confluence of different soil types that serve as critical habitat for a wide range of plant and animal life, including a number of rare species. In fact, it was this malleable landscape of dunes, wetlands, and prairies that first drew U.S. Steel to the area asan attractive site for its new steel mill and company town around the turn of the 20th century.

25 GARY BEGINNINGS

Gary’s proximity to Chicago and access to both land and water were designed to support the steel mill by funneling mill transportation made it an ideal location for commerce and workers from Gary’s growing residential neighborhoods. Later, development. Gary’s factories and dense urban development the role of the Interurban Railway Company expanded; over 50 are situated on the western end of the Indiana Dunes National miles of railroad track were built, bringing people to thriving Park, alongside a rare coastal ecosystem. During the first retail and office development downtown. Between 1908 and half of the 20th century, much of Gary’s native ecosystem 1912 passenger train service between Gary and Downtown was disrupted or erased to lay the foundations for the city’s Chicago began via the South Shore Line, further enhancing the factories, streets, railroads, neighborhoods, and airport. transportation infrastructure. This service was complemented locally by an extensive streetcar network. In 1906, U.S. Steel purchased a large tract of land along Lake Michigan to build the world’s largest integrated steel mill. As the mill grew, the Gary Land Company started a city and developed its first subdivision around what is now Downtown. The Gary Land Company sold lots to its employees, providing mortgages to make their workers dependent on the company’s goodwill and creating an incentive for them to maintain their property. However, wages for unskilled laborers were not sufficient for most steelworkers to buy homes. As a result, development quickly spread south along Broadway, on land not controlled by the Gary Land Company, where workers were often exploited by predatory land speculators and slumlords. Thus, two Garys formed: the north side for high-wage steel employees and businessmen, where U.S. Steel subsidized lawn care, provided utilities, and built sidewalks; and the south side, divided by the Wabash railroad tracks, consisting of tenement shacks lacking basic infrastructure, occupied mainly by African Americans and low-income immigrants.

Gary’s early development spread quickly, often without formal Placeholder photo planning. Homes abutted mills, industry, and heavy rail, while heavy industry encroached on unique and sensitive natural habitats. Eventually a grid system materialized and subdivisions were constructed, complete with streets, sidewalks, utilities, and sewers. As Gary grew, so also did its transportation network. Photo Caption From the start, the city and its transportation infrastructure

26 City of Gary ComprehensiveCOMPREHENSIVE Plan PLAN FIGURE 4-1. SUCCESSIVE CORPORATE LIMITS 4.0 HOW DID WE GET HERE HOW 4.0

Source: Comprehensive Plan, The Master Physical Development Plan for the City of Gary, Indiana (1964)

27 BOOMING GARY

Gary radically transformed in the 1920s with a huge growth in determining who should receive loans and which areas in the both population and steel manufacturing. The City annexed the city were safe investments. Those receiving the lowest grade area around Clark Road Station (1907), Tolleston (1910), and of “D,” colored red, were considered “hazardous.” These grades Miller (1918) and, by 1930, the population had grown to 101,000 made it difficult for people in certain areas to access mortgage (see Figure 4-1). The building department issued $80 million financing and thus become homeowners. This practice of in construction permits between 1923 and 1929, the equivalent redlining directed capital to native-born white families and of over $1.1 billion in 2019. Many important structures were away from African American and immigrant families, solidifying built during this time, including the Gary Hotel, City Methodist wealth inequalities that we still see today.1 Church, Memorial Auditorium, City Hall, Palace Theater, and the Knights of Columbus building. Private industry continued The Great Depression of the 1930’s dampened residential and to develop port facilities to move raw and finished materials industrial development. The steel mills cut production by 80% via water transport on Lake Michigan while public investments and Gary was on the brink of bankruptcy. U.S. Steel rebounded continued to enhance rail, water, and commuter access. with the onset of World War II and Gary grew and expanded into the 1950s and 60s. The post-war housing boom fostered Gary’s industrial base attracted a diverse population, including by the G.I. Bill in 1944 and the national trend of suburbanization southern and eastern European immigrants, African Americans, benefited Gary as manufacturing employment continued to and Latinos. During World War I, African Americans from the increase. At its peak in 1960, Gary’s population reached 178,000 American South began migrating to northern cities, with a and the downtown was the retail hub of Northwest Indiana. significant number settling in Gary. By the 1920s, Mexican immigrants worked many of the unskilled mill jobs at U.S. In 1956, Congress passed the Federal Aid Highway Act, Steel, further diversifying the area’s growing population. As ultimately leading to the construction of a robust network of the African American and Latino populations grew, so too did highways including the Borman Expressway (I-80/94), I-65, practices in racial discrimination and segregation in housing, and the Indiana Toll Road (I-90). What is now the Gary/Chicago education, and recreation. As a result, neighborhoods became Airport opened in 1954. By the late-1960s, the majority of starkly segregated. transportation infrastructure was in place and remains to this day. These segregation practices were institutionalized through home lending practices. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) collected data and evaluations developed by lenders, developers, and real estate appraisers in the city and assigned grades to residential neighborhoods that reflected their

“mortgage security.” These were visualized on color-coded 1 maps like Figure 4-2. Neighborhoods receiving the highest University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab Mapping Inequity Project. https:// dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=13/41.577/-87.382&city=lake-co.- grade of “A”– colored green on the maps – were deemed minimal gary-in&adimage=2/40/-152.903 risks for banks and other mortgage lenders when they were

28 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 4-2. HOME OWNERS’ LOAN CORPORATION RESIDENTIAL SECURITY MAP (1937) 4.0 HOW DID WE GET HERE HOW 4.0

Source: University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab Mapping Inequity Project

29 FIGURE 4-3. CHANGE IN GLOBAL STEEL DISINVESTMENT PRODUCTION OVER TIME

Mid-century marked the beginning of Gary’s population decline and a period of sustained disinvestment. Manufacturing employment began to fall in the late 1960s, followed by a period of unprecedented white flight to the suburbs and population loss. Gary lost half its population in 50 years and commercial development in the region was almost exclusively relegated to auto-oriented malls and highway development outside of city centers. Gary’s downtown and Broadway corridor endured heavy disinvestment and abandonment. CHANGES IN MANUFACTURING

Gary’s population peaked in 1960,2 in large part due to high domestic steel demand for the buildout of infrastructure, Source: World Steel Association, https://www.worldsteel.org/steel-by-topic/ vehicles, and the WWI and WWII war efforts. However, after statistics.html the war the steel industry started to retract, with steel mills across the nation becoming obsolete and less competitive. FIGURE 4-4. TOTAL AND MANUFACTURING Gary’s population and jobs decline were largely brought about EMPLOYMENT IN THE US VS LAKE COUNTY OVER by changes in manufacturing due to globalization, outsourcing, TIME and machine-based productivity increases in the steel industry. Growing overseas competition from China as well as efficiency gains in manufacturing have greatly reduced manufacturing employment in the U.S. (see Figure 4-3). In Lake County, which has been more reliant on manufacturing than other areas of the country, the decline in manufacturing has weighed more heavily on the overall economy (see Figure 4-4). As a result, jobs at the U.S. Steel Gary Works plant declined from more than 30,000 in 1970 to 6,000 in 1990, further declining to 5,100 in 2015, and is now estimated at 3,800 in 2019. While total employment growth has been stable in Lake County, the lost manufacturing jobs were replaced by lower-paying service sector jobs.

2 1960 U.S. Census Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

30 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan WHITE FLIGHT AND FIGURE 4-5. WHITE FLIGHT SUBURBANIZATION

At the same time manufacturing and steel production were declining in the 1960s, the city suffered from the incorporation of nearby suburbs, extension of the highway system, declining housing stock, and exodus of businesses from the city center, a phenomenon collectively known as “white flight.” In 1967, the election of Gary’s first black mayor, Richard Gordon Hatcher, further accelerated white flight. I-65 opened in 1968 and the Indiana General Assembly exempted only Lake County from the state’s “buffer zone” law, which prohibited incorporation DID WE GET HERE HOW 4.0 within three miles of larger cities like Gary. Almost overnight, Merrillville experienced rapid commercial and residential growth. Suburban malls, such as Southlake Mall, which opened in 1974 two miles south of Gary, began drawing retail spending away from downtown, adding to Gary’s disinvestment and abandonment. By the 1980s, Gary’s physical decline was most evident along the city’s formerly bustling business corridors, namely Broadway and 5th Avenues. Downtown’s tallest building, the former Holiday Inn, erected in the 1970s, closed its doors by 1985, casting a shadow on City Hall and serving as a powerful of disinvestment until its eventual demolition thirty years later.

Source: Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings

31 GREAT RECESSION EXACERBATES FIGURE 4-6. ANNUAL JOB CHANGE IN THE CITY OF GARY (2005-2015) A WEAK ECONOMY

While Gary’s most acute period of employment decline occurred between the 1960s and 1990s, the city has also experienced job loss in seven out of the last ten years (see Figure 4-6). This amounts to a total net loss of more than 3,800 jobs between 2005 and 2015 (over 10% of total jobs in Gary). Gary briefly recovered from the Great Recession of 2007 to Placeholder for new chart 2009, but those gains were wiped out by additional losses from 2011 to 2015. To further exacerbate blight and disinvestment, subprime mortgages were widespread during the early 21st Century. According to federal housing data, 69% of the loans in Gary were high-cost loans in 2006, versus 28% in the U.S. and Indiana - the number has dropped but Gary is still well above the rates for the state and nation.3

3 Consumer Finance Protection Bureau; Housing Mortgage Disclosure Act data Source:U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination (2019) Employment Statistics (2005-2015).

32 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan GARY TODAY FIGURE 4-7 POPULATION OVER TIME

Today, Gary is left with a built footprint designed in the 1950s for a growing city of almost 200,000 people, despite having a population closer to 80,000 today. Gary is roughly 25% the size of Chicago by area, but only 3% by population. Fewer taxpayers fund an increasingly expensive, deteriorating, and proportionally large infrastructure system. For those who remain in the city, quality of life and the ability to obtain basic amenities and services remain strained. Population loss has crippled the school system and left many neighborhoods in dire condition, with high rates of vacancy and deteriorating DID WE GET HERE HOW 4.0 buildings. Poor land use decisions have led to inefficiencies and conflicts in the way land is utilized today. For example, new schools have opened on unsafe, high-traffic truck corridors, while existing schools located in walkable neighborhoods have closed. POPULATION CHANGE

Though the population of Gary has been declining over the last 50 years, the rate of decline is beginning to slow (see Figure 4-7). The population declined by only 3% from 2010 to 2017, as compared to a 22% decrease from 2000 to 2010.

33 FISCAL CHALLENGES

The City of Gary currently faces a number of fiscal challenges The tax cap has created revenue losses that are concentrated in that have been amplified by recent state policy changes. The cities like Gary. Landlords have benefited greatly from reduced City relies heavily on property taxes, so statewide efforts at taxes while median and fair market rents have increased. The property tax reform have greatly reduced City revenues and property tax caps essentially flatten the tax rates across the created a significant challenge. Indiana’s circuit breaker tax caps state with no regard for the needs of older communities like were a product of the 2008 property tax reform. They were Gary with legacy infrastructure and higher service needs. The first applied statewide for taxes in 2009 and since 2010 have property tax caps have also adversely affected funding for the been used at the current cap rates. In November 2010, voters Gary Community Schools Corporation (GCSC), as a decline in passed a referendum to add the caps to the state Constitution.4 property tax revenue further weakens the local school district.

4 http://indianafiscal.org/resources/IFPI%20Property%20Tax%20Report%20 FINAL.pdf

34 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Source: IndianaLegislativeServicesAgency PAYERS TO TOTAL LEVY INLAKECOUNTY FIGURE 4-8.CONTRIBUTIONS OFSTATE ANDPROPERTY TAX levy of$95M from FY2002 to 2003. an increase intheresidential property tax and $109.4M of taxes industrial County Agency, there was a decrease in Lake According to theINLegislative Services

35 4.0 HOW DID WE GET HERE Placeholder image

36 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Census, conversations withcommunity leaders,andCity staff. collected from avariety ofsources, including statistics from theCityandU.S. transportation conditions inGary. Data and information inthedocumentwere of information anddata aboutthesocial,physical, natural, economic, and the cityandindicators for monitoring progress over time. Itincludesarange It provides anup-to-date snapshotofkey issues andopportunitiesfacing adaptable. and flexible are that regulationsfuture providing contextfor while This chapter isintended to documentbaselineconditions intheCityofGary where we are now? chapter 5 chapter

37 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW This chapter is divided into five sections:

1. Built Environment. This section provides an overview of the existing land use and development across the city, including an analysis of general land use patterns, parks, schools, and community facilities, and property conditions, including vacancy and blight. 2. Economy. This section summarizes existing policies, practices, and trends related to market and economic conditions in the city. It provides an assessment of key industry/job sectors, City finances, and growth opportunities. A detailed market and economic technical report is found in Appendix A. 3. Nature. This chapter provides an inventory of the existing natural areas and environmental conditions in the city. 4. Transportation. This section provides a summary of the existing circulation network and transportation facilities in the city, such as roadways, freight/goods movement, transit, and bicycle/pedestrian facilities. 5. Social Context. This section provides an overview of the existing demographic, socio-economic, and health characteristics of the city. It uses U.S. Census data, City and County data, and other sources to provide a big picture analysis of the current social context within the city.

38 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 39 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW PLACEHOLDER IMAGE 40 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan revitalize neighborhoodsandturnpublicvacant landinto assets for redevelopment andeconomic growth. the existing landusepattern, parks,schools,andothercommunity facilities, andproperty conditions, aswell asfuture direction to existing conditions. This sectiondepictsthecurrent state oflandandthebuiltenvironment inthe city. Itprovides anoverview of years, hasextensively theCityofGary inventoried vacant buildingsandproperty information to better understand andbaseline neighborhoods too closeto heavy industry andheavy rail, andindustrial landsdirectly abuttingsensitive natural habitats. Inrecent land use decisions in recent decades have resulted in impractical and conflicting land use patterns across the city, with residential poor developmentand early Gary’s in planning of lack addition, In services. constrainedresourcesand and blight by challenged areToday,greatest neighborhoods challenges. manyits and also vacant greatestand is assets land city’s the percentoverof 40 Gary’s of one is vacantland, particularly Land, population. the fractionof a size,with approximatelyfootprint,in squaremiles 50 The City’s population decline has slowed in recent years and appears to be stabilizing. What has been left in its wake is a large city Built Environment

41 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW At a Glance • Gary is roughly the size of San Francisco by area… only 10% by population. • The City of Gary Parcel Survey found… • Gary has seen a 56% decline in population in the last 50 ... one in five buildings in Gary is vacant (21%, 6,902 total) years. • • … nearly two in five buildings in Gary are blighted (37%,12,394 • 2010 General Fund budget: $100MM total) • 2016 General Fund budget: $54MM • … 42% of land in Gary is vacant with no structure • Gary is 25% the size of Chicago by area… but only 3% by population.

42 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan INFOGRAPHIC SPREAD PLACEHOLDER FOR

43 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW EXISTING LAND USE

This section provides an overview of existing land use patterns in LIGHT MANUFACTURING AND the city, as illustrated in Figure 5-1. Existing Land Use. Additional details on existing land use and conditions can be found in the HEAVY INDUSTRIAL neighborhoods section of Chapter 6. Planning Frameworks. Over a third of Gary is industrial land, a product of U.S. Steel’s influence and legacy. Heavy industry exists north of RESIDENTIAL the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) along the lakefront while lighter industry, warehousing, and trucking uses are positioned around The vast majority of the city is composed of single-family the I-65 interchange, Melton Road (U.S. 20), and along Cline residential neighborhoods. Most of Gary’s housing is single- Avenue. In many areas, industrial land directly abuts residential th family homes built in the early to mid-20 century, accompanied neighborhoods, creating negative impacts of traffic, noise, and by a mixture of multi-family duplexes and larger apartment pollution. buildings. The Gary Housing Authority manages 1,425 housing units (and 1,763 housing vouchers) and is currently modernizing many of its larger residential properties in less centrally- PARKS AND OPEN SPACE located areas of town including its Colonial I and II properties in Glen Park and the Dorie Miller housing complex in Pulaski. Gary is rich with natural assets. Unique and biodiverse Very little contemporary housing exists in Gary and new home habitats, dune and swale ecosystems, and abundant wetlands, construction over the past 20 years is almost exclusively located parks, trails, and miles of lakefront provide an opportunity to in the Small Farms and Miller neighborhoods. increase and enhance open space citywide. Rare and valuable conservation areas are located along the Calumet River, BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL the Indiana Dunes National Park, and in Buffington Harbor (discussed further in the Nature context section). Yet many Commercial activity, stagnant for decades, has left Gary’s most of these sensitive habitats sit directly adjacent to industrial prominent corridors blighted. Retail, dining, and commerce is land, threatening the ecological health of these ecosystems. relegated to several small nodes, a few strip malls, and one- to In addition to actively managed parks and conservation land, two-block stretches along Broadway, Grant Street, Lake Street, the city contains numerous unmanaged natural open spaces, th th 5 Avenue, 25 Avenue, and Ridge Road. Occupied commercial particularly in the floodplain of the Little Calumet River. buildings are largely overwhelmed by neighboring vacant and abandoned properties. Blight even persists in the most densely occupied commercial areas along Grant Street, Broadway, and INSTITUTIONAL LAND Lake Street. The City of Gary’s municipal campus Downtown contains City Hall, the Lake County Courthouse, Adam Benjamin Metro Center, and ancillary office space. In addition, major educational

44 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN land isshown inFigure 5-2. canprovideGary great value aswe plan for ourfuture. Vacant and creativity afforded by repurposing one-in-five properties in zoning codes, and investment decisions are made. The flexibility vacancy shouldbelargely considered as new land use maps, prevalenceof the 5-1), Figure illustratedon thereforenot (and a“use” as classified traditionally not Though Gary. in land of land, blighted lots,andabandonedbuildingscomprise alarge share vacant patterns, development historic defined Despite LAND BLIGHTED ANDUNDERUTILIZED scattered throughout thecity’s residential neighborhoods. as schools,community centers, libraries, andchurches are institutional landusesinGary. Otherinstitutional uses,such working hourpopulations andcontain thelargest clusters of College campus.These two central nodesmaintainsubstantial CareerGary Center andrepurposed former Ivy Tech Community Indiana University Northwest andIvy Tech), eastward to the 35 along exist centers th Avenue from Broadway (home to Photo Caption Placeholder image

45 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-1. EXISTING LAND USE

Note: Data was not available to differentiate and show institutional uses on this map. 46 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-2.VACANT ANDUNOCCUPIED LAND

47 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW PARKS, SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY FACILITIES PARKS addition to maintenance issues, residents have voiced concerns about park safety and access. The Public Parks Department is currently evaluating the utility of each of its parks, resident Gary’s vast park system was originally designed for 200,000 needs, and updating the master plan. Parks serve Gary not only residents, all of whom would benefit from being within for recreation and open space, but also as potential growth and a short walk to their park. The 1964 Comprehensive Plan stabilization opportunities. The updated Parks and Recreation established a minimum standard of 10 acres per 1,000 Master Plan will address the potential to repurpose, develop, residents to accommodate the current and future residents – and consolidate park land citywide, while carefully balancing approximately 1,800 acres. Gary’s 57 resulting parks present new park renovations with continued maintenance of existing both an opportunity for redevelopment and a challenge for parks. maintenance and programming. Thirty of these parks are actively managed by the Gary Department of Public Parks, which performs regular maintenance and upgrades to park TABLE 5-1. PARK CLASSIFICATIONS facilities and equipment. Of the City’s active parks, eight are TIER 1 (JEWEL AND REGIONAL PARKS) designated as Tier 1 parks, which enjoy greater use and receive more resources, based on traffic, regional significance, and Glen Ryan Park 1st District geographic distribution across each of Gary’s Council Districts (see Table 5-1 below). Six additional Tier 2 parks primarily serve Brunswick Parks 2nd District their adjacent communities and tend to be less of an attraction Tolleston Parks 3rd District outside of the neighborhoods they serve. In addition, there are Reed Park (formerly Washington Park) 4th District 27 inactive park sites throughout Gary – formerly active parks th that are no longer being maintained by the City. Roosevelt Park 5 District Howe Park 6th District Recent park renovations have been met with mixed reception. Marquette Park Regional Marquette Park’s 2011-13 renovation has resulted in a significant increase in usage, and additional investments have been made Gleason Golf Course Regional by community and advocacy groups for programming and Tier 2 (Community and Neighborhood accessibility improvements. Reed Park renovations in 2016 Parks) included the creation of a splash pad, improvements to the park Jackson Park pavilion, and installation of native plantings. However, many Hatcher Park residents voiced concerns regarding continued maintenance of Buffington Park park improvements, consistent with other parks in the system. Since adoption in 2009, the Gary Parks and Recreation Borman Square Park Master Plan has been used largely to manage maintenance Seberger Park and effectively resource an overburdened parks district. In Ironwood Park

48 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Photo Caption Placeholder image Photo Caption Placeholder image

49 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-3. CITY OF GARY PARKS

50 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan once served. character ofthecommunities inwhichthey are located and opportunities, thoughthey are limited by thetypicallyresidential time, thesize ofvacant GCSCholdings present redevelopment neighborhoods and amenities around schools. At the same time, it alters the age-old planning tenet of building residential As GCSCcontinues to reduce schoolsites andevolve over other pedestrian-oriented landusesare present. added infrastructure needinsomeareas ofthecitywhere few pedestrian infrastructure, makingsidewalks andcrosswalks an intended asschoolbuildings.These areas lackadequate Dunes on Melton Road) or in repurposed facilities not originally the Avenue;of 5th School CharterAcademyon Bowman Thea schools are sited in incompatible light industrial corridors (e.g. enough to buildoninresidential areas, several new charter charter schoolsinGary. Dueto limited availability oflotslarge has system children and hasalso led to the construction of numerous school Gary’s of hindered residential growth for families withschool-aged perception unfavorable The adjacent to Gary’s Black Oak neighborhood, outside city limits. (22 sites inthecity)andby theLake RidgeSchoolDistrict, sites. The 9 remainder of Gary’s at students are served Gary by charter in schools educated students 13,000 the of half than number Community SchoolCorporation (GCSC) a currently serves less to Due 5-4). Figure inactiveof factors (see – poor performance, population loss – the Gary city 29 the and in sites sites schools school active 31 are there Currently city. the in facilities school of expansion significant a necessitating would increase from 37,000 students in 1960 to 58,000 in 1985 Comprehensive Plan projected the total student enrollment was created to serve a population nearly twice its size. The inventory1964 school Gary’s institutions, built other and parks Like SCHOOLS 1 population. existing educational assets and leverage the significant daytime School provide redevelopment opportunitiesto buildonthe Gardens site andclosedformer BenjaminFranklin Elementary to theeast at Georgia Street. The recently vacated GHAColonial Northwest to thewest at Broadway Career andtheGary Center vacated its property on 35 on propertyvacated its it shares withIvy Tech Community College, whichrecently the openingofanew artsandsciences buildingin 2017, which 36- The learning. higher acre campus has recently of expanded across Broadway with institution largest Gary’s is and campus by enrollment, is located on Broadway at 35 Broadwayat on located is enrollment, by campus commuter largest system’s the Northwest, University Indiana 1 density. mismatch between location ofcore services andpopulation concentrations ofvacancy andblighted property, creating a 5-5). Figure (see However, these areas routes alsoexperience someofthehighest transit and roads trafficked heavily University Park, andGlenPark dueto theirlocations along Midtown,Downtown, as such neighborhoods central Gary’s in community gardens, andcommunity centers are concentrated Community anchorfacilities like schools,churches, libraries, COMMUNITY FACILITIES o h ws. 35 west. the to ln 35 along The university campushasopportunitiesfor furthergrowth

K-12 SchoolEnrollment -IndianaDepartment ofEducation th Avenue, Broadway, and adjacent to Gleason Park th Avenue isbookended by IndianaUniversity th Avenue several blocksto theeast. th Avenue

51 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-4. SCHOOLS

52 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-5.COMMUNITYFACILITIESANDASSETS

53 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW PROPERTY CONDITIONS, VACANCY, AND BLIGHT PROPERTY CONDITIONS FIGURE 5-6. PROPERTY CONDITIONS

After decades of population loss, nearly a fifth of all property in Gary is abandoned and severely tax delinquent. The highest concentrations of occupied well-maintained properties are located in the West Side, Ambridge Mann, Tolleston, Small Farms, and Miller neighborhoods. The city’s core along the Broadway corridor has the highest rates of blight and vacancy, destabilizing Gary’s most centrally-located neighborhoods. The highest vacancy areas also have the best access to amenities, transit, and transportation infrastructure, creating an opportunity to redevelop Gary’s central core to take advantage of that proximity, exploring alternative land uses beyond the traditional land use patterns of commerce and higher-density residential.

A 2015 study conducted in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Harris School surveyed property conditions citywide. See Figure 5-6 and Figure 5-7 for results of the survey.

54 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan investments to supportcontinued improvement andgrowth. Mann, are targeted for blight elimination and infrastructure in transition, like partsofBrunswick, Ambridge, andHorace rates. Some residential neighborhoodsthat are stabilizing or Tax and experiencing anincrease inhomesalesandtaxcollection 5-8. Figure (see Rate). Someneighborhoodshave beengradually stabilizing decline Taxin Delinquency Change of 5-9. Figure and Rate Delinquency years after stabilization tax collection perparcel, whichindicates relative population many areas ofthecityhave seenrelatively littlechangein While taxcollection hasconsistently decreased citywide, time asblocksbecome empty. in many suchneighborhoods to repurpose neighborhoodsover health andsafety, andoverall qualityoflife. Opportunityexists this abandonment; presents aseriouschallengeto community stabilization, public becomes quickly vacancy away, pass or has consistently from block-to-block. Asneighborsmove out neighborhoods residential Gary’s resulted in onlya few occupied homes onentire blocks, of many in Attrition interspersed within neighborhoodsandalongkey corridors. the community, the majority of vacant parcels are small and Though there are many areas where vacant landdominates schools andlibraries. from storefronts andrestaurants to institutional buildings like gone have units empty, contributing to theabandonmentofotherproperties housing declined, has population city’s the land, vacant and nearlyathird ofall housing unitsare alsovacant. As is footprint entire Gary’s of half Approximately VACANT LAND www.garycounts.org. update thedata, whichcanbefound at in Fall 2014, andtheCitycontinues to comprehensive survey was completed The miles. square 50+ Gary’s in property time to help collect information on each Nearly 200peoplevolunteered their they become too damagedto repair. planning andto catch properties before surveying eachparcel to inGary improve of ChicagoHarrisSchool,spenttwo years The City, inpartnershipwiththeUniversity STUDY UNIVERSITY OFCHICAGO

55 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-7. PROPERTY CONDITIONS

56 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-8.TAXDELINQUENCYRATE(2016)

57 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-9. CHANGE IN TAX DELINQUENCY RATE BETWEEN 2014 AND 2016

58 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 2 of 48separate parcels, eachless thanatenth ofanacre in effect redevelopment. Anaverage cityblockiscomprised Gary varies ownership are vacant, from property Gary to in property, creating few sites large enough to parcels all of fifth a as availability ofcontiguous vacant orpublicland.Whileasmuch Perhaps the greatest obstacle to scalable redevelopment is SITE ASSEMBLY management. stormwater and beautification both of purpose the for return strategies aswell aswhere demolitioncanachieve agreater B), provides more direction onadditionalblightelimination of demolitions. The Green Infrastructure Plan (see Appendix pastten years, themajorityofblightelimination hasconsisted largely the In concerns. safety public significant remove to in otherwisestabilizing areas andinlarge concentrations Blight elimination hasoccurred to target abandonedstructures sell. neverrepresenting asunkcost to taxpayers. Gary percent 94 security, andoften demolition,withnoreturn orcost recovery, and year, each These abandonedproperties leadto Cityservices for board-up, auction sale tax than 1-in-5 properties in Gary, end up on the County Treasurer’s least three years. Over 11,000 properties, representing more tax delinquentproperties, withunpaidtaxes dating backat Years of disinvestment has also led to thousands of consistently City hasdemolished more than1,300dilapidated structures. as 6,900 vacant buildings in need of demolition. Since 2012, the throughoutcity.the The 2015parcel survey estimated manyas program to remove buildingsinpoorordangerous condition The runsasubstantial CityofGary demolitionanddeconstruction BLIGHT ELIMINATION Report__FINAL.pdf. ore https://www.communityprogress.net/filebin/150928_TASP_Gary_ Source: 2 FIGURE 5-10.CHALLENGEOFSITEASSEMBL of individualparcels. significant development will require the aggregation of dozens – are vacant single-family lots. Sites large enoughto effect Gary Gary, of RedevelopmentCity Commission, Parks Department,orCounty the by held property as ofpublicly-owned defined – parcels 90 percent than More difficult. assembly size. With disinvestment and population loss, this makes land - WILLBERECREATED PLACEHOLDER GRAPHICS

59 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-11. CITY DEMOLITION PROJECTS 2012-2019

60 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Bank Building. SouthalongtheBroadway corridor isadistrict the most onSouthBroadway istheformer American State are ingenerally goodcondition. Onebuildingthat stands out smaller scale commercial buildings. The buildings in this area A sectionofBroadway southoftheCity Center District includes HISTORIC MIDTOWN SOUTH BROADWAY AND are afew examples ofhistorically-important buildings: BroadwayAvenuebetween4th Avenue.9th and followingThe A majorityoftheCityCenter Historic District islocated along Center are mostly commercial, early20thcentury architecture. of Historic Places. The existing buildingsintheDowntown City one oftwo historic districts listed inGary ontheNational Register The City Center Historic District, located in Gary’s Downtown, is CITY CENTERHISTORIC DISTRICT significant of historically list official structures. Nation’s the Places, properties that are listed ontheNational Register ofHistoric There are currently three designated historic districts and nineindividual Downtown. near especially properties, significant The offers CityofGary awealth ofhistoric and culturally HISTORIC PRESERVATION INGARY • • • • • •

City Methodist Church The Palace Theater Hotel Gary StateGary Bank CityHall Gary Lake County Courthouse east ofHarrisonBoulevard, andwest ofCarolina Street. Park, Avenue,Gleason 15th of of north south locatedgenerally and Bluesmusiciansofthe20thcentury. Historic Midtown is andwasin Gary well known asahaven for many talented Jazz was oneofthemost notableAfrican-American communities Known asHistoric Midtown ortheCentral District, thisarea Gary. the in areas culturally-significant most the of one is that Branch Library, andRalphWaldo Emerson School. Union Station,such as the Gary Sax Block Building, East Side educational, residential, commercial, andreligious facilities, of historic buildings in varying conditions. This includes Located near the CityCenter Historic District isawiderange types andcover thefollowing districts: Downtown. These areas includea range ofresidential building hasseveralGary notableresidential areas, primarily west of SCATTERED SITES DISTRICTS ANDOTHER ADDITIONAL HISTORIC • • • •

circa 1920. 8th Avenues andHayes andFillmore Streets, majoritybuilt Lincoln StreetHistoricDistrict.Between W. 6thandW. 1927-1930. Avenues andCleveland and Grant Streets, majority built Eskilson HistoricDistrict built 1920-1940. Avenues andRoosevelt andCleveland Streets, majority Horace MannHistoricDistrict. Between W. 5th and W. 8th 1920-1930. Avenue between Taft and Fillmore Streets, majority built West 5thAvenueApartmentsHistoricDistrict. Bten . t ad . 3rd W. and 5th W. Between . . 5th W.

61 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW The Miller and Marquette Park area also possesses some notable buildings. Marquette Park has two historically-important structures designed by the well-known Prairie School architect, George W. Maher: The Marquette Park Bathing Beach Pavilion and the Recreation Pavilion.

CONTINUING PRESERVATION EFFORTS Placeholder image

Due largely to neighborhood activism and new municipal resources, historic preservation in Gary has seen a resurgence in the last several years. The Decay Devils, a non-profit dedicated to activating vacant spaces, has revitalized the former Union Station on Broadway and continues programming to coalesce arts, culture, and historic preservation. Photo Caption

The City’s Redevelopment Department has conducted annual Gary Preservation Tours over the summer, complete with docents and historical information on Gary’s most historic properties. This includes the dedication of an historic marker at the City Methodist Church, and art installations across Downtown.

Finally, the City Council reactivated its Arts, Culture, and History Committee in 2017, which focuses on recognizing Gary’s significant historical legacy.

62 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan KEY TAKEAWAYS • • • • • • • • • • •

neighborhoods, including parks, can advantage flood protection, habitat conservation, passive recreation, and recreation, passive conservation, as aresult). habitat protection, flood advantage beautification in areas that are costly to maintain and can service (and are often left with neither maintenance nor services residential parks, adjacent deserted including largely to include neighborhoods, Expansion benefits. multiple serves network green existing Gary’s repurposing oflandfor new uses. Opportunity exists to use vacant publicland as atool for neighborhood revitalization, through targeted investment and assembly. Redevelopment ofvacant properties ischallengedby alackof market demand andcostly, resource-intensive parcel with onlyascattering ofactive uses. Due to attrition anddisinvestment, majorcommercial corridors are leftwithlarge stretches ofblightandabandonment the best access to publicservices, community amenities,andtransportation assets. The central core of the city has the highest vacancy and highest concentration of blight, yet these are the areas with character. Many residents are inareas ofthecitythat are sparselypopulated andunlikely to return to theirprevious residential Key neighborhoodanchorsprovide anopportunityto prioritize neighborhoodstabilization andinvestment. facilitiesPublic andparksneedto beconsolidated to better reflect population trends andbudgetary realities. buildings difficult. conditions andblight that destabilizes neighborhoods.The unpredictability ofGCSCmakes planningaround school Many inactive schools,parks,andothercommunity facilities are scattered throughout thecity, creating unsafe Vacant landandbuildingsare amongGary’s most undervalued assets. are too large for thecurrent population andtoo costly to maintain. largely accommodate single-family residential neighborhoodsandseveral strong commercial corridors. These systems 200,000residents,nearly togrowingCity’s of Theinfrastructure, a werepopulation facilitiesfor and built streetgrid,

63 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW GARY’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT: WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Gary is evolving. A rational framework for embracing Gary’s change is desperately needed. Investment and development should be focused along transit stops, at existing activity centers, and in areas that are already relatively stable. It is unlikely that Broadway will ever again return to the five miles of storefronts and restaurants it was in the 1960s; many formerly dense residential neighborhoods are not like to be fully-occupied again. As Gary’s economy and social context evolve, its built environment will too. Decisions should be made to embrace these changes and adapt with Gary’s dynamism. Investments and land use decisions need to balance the areas of greatest need with the areas of greatest potential. KEY PRIORITIES

1. Utilize Data-driven Land Management. The Gary Space Time Analytics Data System (G-STADS) is fully built and housed at the Gary Sanitary District’s GIS department. This system is invaluable in enabling efficient use of City services and thoughtful planning. G-STADS needs to be continually maintained, populated, and integrated with the planning department’s GIS capabilities going forward. Market data, existing amenities, and community priorities should be applied to make land use and investment decisions based on market conditions and not tradition. 2. Establish Flexibility in Zoning. This Comprehensive Plan provides a road map for a total overhaul of land use regulation in Gary. Currently underway, the zoning ordinance revision needs to be completed and applied to allow for modern administration of redevelopment standards. Flexibility in zoning should also extend to new housing that provides greater variance and more options like tiny homes and collective housing. The land use map, as presented in this Plan, will serve as a guide that reflects reality and includes the priorities of our citizens. 3. Embrace Gary’s Evolution. Sometimes referred to as “smart decline” or “right-sizing,” Gary’s physical footprint is simply too big to adequately meet the needs of its residents. Blight can be managed through thoughtful zoning. Certain areas should simply be off-limits to building. Rather than one or two buildings amid a sea of empty storefronts on major corridors, development should be centered around transit, in activity centers, and adjacent to community anchors. At the same time, abandoned blocks should be replaced by trees and open space to control supply and demand and prevent further blight. Sparsely populated neighborhoods need to be restored to forests and wetlands while stable neighborhoods need continued investment. Utilizing G-STADS, investment needs to be directed to those areas that will experience a return on that investment. 4. Enable Creativity at the Neighborhood Level. Gary’s artists, gardeners, preservationists, activists, chefs, musicians, and entrepreneurs are central to our city’s vitality and they are reinvesting a lot of energy Downtown and in our neighborhoods. Let them! Creativity should be encouraged in community-led efforts to reclaim vacant land. Arts, public spaces, expanded natural areas and urban forests, and urban agriculture should not only be allowed but also encouraged. Unlike prior codes and regulations, Gary’s redevelopment code will be enacted to encourage growth not simply manage it. Regulations and permitting should be loose and enabling, while not irresponsible, and information should be actively shared and promoted by the City administration. The revised redevelopment code should reflect this as a priority and honor the work put in by neighborhood-level activists and citizens.

64 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan forward to understand trends, evaluate progress, andguidefuture decision-makingasitrelates to Gary’s builtenvironment. environmental, transportation, andsocialconditions ofthecity. The following isalist ofkey indicators that willbeusedgoing imperatives setforth inthisPlan.The At-a-Glance sections ofthischapter provide asnapshotintimeofthe physical, economic, continuesAs Gary to evolve, information anddata canserve asabaselineto measure progress towards meeting thelong-term KEY INDICATORS: • • • •

Tax DelinquencyRate.The taxdelinquency rate tracks population andmarket condition change. conditions. Average homeprice(perCounty Assessor data). Though slow inchanging,average homeprice isanindicator ofmarket footprint. physical Gary’s evolving in progressillustrate also Demolitions stabilization. neighborhood and redevelopmentfor allow to removal,blight quantifying keyin indicatora remainsCity’sRedevelopment Demolitions the Department). (per Demolitions plan for andprovide services to ourneighborhoods. Population. Asthemost importantlong-term indicator, population measures ourcondition asacityandallows us to effectively

65 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW 66 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 3 (nearly 630 peopleperyear). city’s demographic challenges more than its strength the as reflects fact a this job but everyemployedresident,center. for jobs 1.2 as with Between employedresidents such than 2010 jobs industries, and more keyhas 2018, Gary Gary in manufacturing. lost restructuring six and percent decline of its population population of decades of effects the suffering currently is economy Gary’s Economy To spureconomic growth andredevelopment, willneedto Gary leverage itsthree primaryassets: to turnaround itsdemographic challengesquickly, butitcanreinvigorate itsindustrial sector asanenginefor economic growth. Continued population loss is a drain on the tax base, the labor force, and the businesses that serve is not likely the population. Gary per year. Job losses have occurred in industries that serve localresidents, aswell asthosethat serve external markets. averagejobs an 630 lost of Gary 2015, to 2010From 2015. to 2011from bylosses out werewiped gains those but 2009,2007to 2005 and 2015 and has experienced job loss in seven out of the last ten years. brieflyGary recovered from the Great Recession of Like population decline, the city is also experiencing job loss. The had a total City of Gary net loss of more than 3,800 jobsbetween Instead of1.2jobsperemployed resident, theratio would flip to 1.5employed residents for everyGary. jobin as a whole. had a similar level If Gary of residents in the labor force, there would be an additional 8,300 residents inthe labor force.

U.S. CensusBureau, PopulationEstimatesProgram (PEP),April1,2010toJuly 1,2018.PopulationandHousing UnitEstimates. • • •

Significant transportation and infrastructure assets. Available landsuitablefor industrial use;and A central location for theU.S. andCanadianmarkets 3 Only 51 percent of working-age residents are in the labor force compared to 63 percent for the U.S.

67 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW At a Glance

Metrics for this section could include: Total jobs in Gary, the ratio of jobs per employed residents (1.2), the labor force participation rate (51%), the number or share of jobs that pay more than $3,333 per month (16,231 or 54.7%), and the amount of new land developed at a break-even or tax positive level (this would be tracked as progress).

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68 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 69 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW KEY INDUSTRIAL SECTORS

Because Gary lacks the resources to go it alone, the City of existing base of innovative businesses involved in food Gary can maximize its development opportunities by aligning production, processing, and packaging. its plan with the Northwest Indiana Forum Ignite the Region strategy and leveraging the resources and capacity of these More detail is available for each of these sectors in Appendix organizations to advance the development of Gary. Based on A, which provides a summary of the Regional Market Gary’s strengths, there are three primary sectors of opportunity Opportunities/Advantages, Growth Outlook, and the Location for industrial development in the City of Gary. Factors that drive site selection. It is important to note that there are tradeoffs between these sector opportunities that • Heavy Industry. Gary has a strategic location in proximity have to be balanced in planning for the future. Some of these to Chicago and intermodal transportation infrastructure, tradeoffs and considerations include: as well as manufacturing and other end users. It also has a strong manufacturing culture and deep base of skills, with • Intermodal activities can support and complement an existing manufacturing sector partnership in the region. both heavy industry or agricultural products and food There are opportunities to expand into several subsectors processing. of heavy industry including steel/metals, chemicals, plastics, wood products, machinery, manufacturing tools, • Heavy industry fits the traditional economic base of the electronics, and biofuels. City of Gary and has many of the location factors desired by these industries, but many of these industries are not • Intermodal Transportation and Logistics. Northwest generating more job opportunities. Indiana lies within a day’s drive to 80 percent of the U.S. population. With its easy access to Chicago, major • Agricultural products and food processing is a growth highways (I-90, I-80/1-94, and I-65), and network of Class sector, but it is sensitive to air quality that could negatively 1 railroads, as well as its port and airport facilities, Gary can impact the processing and packaging of food. To grow this attract intermodal transportation and logistics industries, sector, Gary will need to find sites that provide sufficient particularly in the Buffington Harbor area. air quality and that will not be impacted by pollution from nearby heavy manufacturing. • Agricultural Products and Food Processing. A number of major employers in the agricultural and food processing industry are located nearby, such as Albanese, American A CITY OF OPPORTUNITY Licorice, Cargill, ConAgra, Urschel, and Monsanto. Gary’s strong transportation infrastructure and intermodal Gary is poised to become a “City of Opportunity” for women connections, including marine, rail, air, and trucking and minorities who want to own their own business. Gary connections would serve their transportation needs. Gary features a large proportion of women and minority-owned also offers proximity to major population centers and small businesses. Out of approximately 6,500 businesses in consumer markets which would further attract businesses the City of Gary, there are more than 4,100 women-owned in this sector. The City has an opportunity to leverage its businesses and more than 5,100 minority-owned businesses. At

70 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan TABLE 5-2.BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMSANDRESOURCES incubators, accelerators, andco-working spaces that canfurtherfuelGary’s home-grown entrepreneurial energy. should ensureGary that its land use and zoning codes allow more vacant and underutilized space to beconverted for business the Stage SmallBusiness Incubator, hasalready Gary taken steps to create anenvironment to nurture entrepreneurs andstartups. resources available through state andregional partners.Through thecreation oftheGMI,anddevelopment ofArtHouseand (GMI), andthewomen andminoritybusiness owners inthecitywillhelpto connect new entrepreneurs to thevariety ofexisting for businesses Gary andentrepreneurs. Buildingstronger linkages between theseprograms, Micro-Enterprise theGary Initiative for entrepreneurship and business development. Table 5-2 provides a list of existing programs and resources that provide support There are currently more thantwo dozen organizations, agencies,andprograms inNorthwest Indianathat are providing support businesses helpsto inGary insulate economy theGary from thedecisionsofexternally-owned corporations. can leverage theirexperience asmentors to future generations ofbusiness owners. Increasing thelocally-owned andoperated Gary is 80 percent, more than three times the rate for the U.S. With a significant base of existing women and minority64 percent, owners, therateGary ofwomen-owned businesses istwice therate for theU.S. andthepercent ofminority-owned businesses in Incubator The Stage SmallBusiness Park of NWI Center andResearch Purdue Technology Manufacturing Excellence Commercialization and Purdue chapter) Center (state, local Business Development Northwest IndianaSmall Initiative (GMI) Micro-EnterpriseGary Kitchen ArtHouse: ASocial Program entrepreneurship education programs. to test theirbusiness ideaandoffers financialliteracy classes, permitting workshops, and other build theirown stage for business success. The space hosts retail pop-upstores for entrepreneurs Gary’s first co-working space where entrepreneurs canlearn,create, network withothersand variety ofbusinesses. Center provides reasonably priced, flexible incubation space, as well asashared office services toa Modeled after Purdue Research Foundation’s successful incubation program inWest LaFayette, the manufacturing opportunities-related training for manufacturing companies ofallsizes. development andtechnological transfer throughout Northwest Indianaandprovides advanced Purdue Commercialization andManufacturing Excellence serves asacatalyst for economic and sustainability andto helpHoosierEntrepreneurs start stronger, grow faster, andwork smarter. small businesses withthehopeto make positive andmeasurable impact onitsformation, growth, The IndianaSmallBusiness Development Center (IndianaSBDC)provides technical assistance to and otherbusiness-related topics. businesses. Participants learn business structure andplanning,financialmanagement,marketing, Department ofCommerce andU.S. HUD’s Community Development Division–to thecity’s small GMI isaneight-week entrepreneurship training course provided –inpartnershipwiththe city’s pop-up café,andgallery/exhibition space. businesses, culinarybusiness incubation program (CBI), rental space for events andmeetings,a ArtHouse provides access to acommercial kitchen rental for localresidents andemerging Description

71 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW INFRASTRUCTURE

• Truck routes provide a high level of service on both north- The City of Gary is host to a diverse array of infrastructure assets south and east-west routes, but the local road network is and holds one of the most unique assets in the regional portfolio deficient in many places. – the Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY), a full-service airport that is capable of serving general aviation, corporate, For Gary to grow its industrial base and the transportation and commercial, and cargo users. GYY’s 8,859 foot runway is the logistics industry, these assets must be developed to better link longest in the region after O’Hare. GYY can handle aircraft from the vacant, available land in Gary with intermodal transportation anywhere in the world and provides a fully-staffed air traffic that provides easy access to customers and suppliers. control tower that avoids the congestion outside of O’Hare and Midway airports.

GYY anchors a multimodal transportation hub that benefits Gary and all of Northwest Indiana. The Gary/Chicago International Airport is also home to a state-of-the-art General Aviation U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility. This is the newest CBP facility in northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan region and provides airport users with new international travel options. GYY also sits within the boundaries of a Free Trade Zone, providing additional benefits to airport customers.

The economic future of Gary, and its ability to develop and to maintain the manufacturing and logistics base of the region will depend on a number of critical transportation and infrastructure assets. These assets are shown in Figure 5-12 and described further in the Transportation section of this chapter. • Buffington Harbor (port) provides long-term capacity for expanding shipping and complementing the Port of Indiana Harbor. • Gary/Chicago International Airport links to road and rail assets but further development is hindered by land use and environmental constraints. • Freight rail is widely available through the city, but mobility is hampered by extensive at-grade crossings that must be addressed.

72 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-12.EXAMPLEOFKEYINFRASTRUCTUREASSETSINGARY

73 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW STRUCTURAL DEFICIT

cost of services. For each parcel in the city, comparing the Gary’s government spending has long exceeded the amount maximum amount of taxes it can generate versus the estimated it receives in taxes in a given year, a concept called structural expenditures required by that parcel provides an estimate of deficit. The City relies heavily on property taxes, but these the return on investment (ROI) per acre. To balance its tax taxes cover only 42 percent of the expenditures needed to run base, the City needs to reduce the properties with a negative the City. Property taxes generate $953 per acre on average ROI and increase the properties with a positive ROI. The city versus expenses of more than $2,200 per acre. The City has has one-third of its acreage with a negative ROI of more than – been closing the gap between total revenues and expenditures $1,000 per acre and two percent of the acreage with a negative by cost-cutting and developing new revenue sources, but its ROI of more than – $10,000 per acre. There are 5,600 acres budget remains challenged by the State-imposed property tax where each parcel costs the City more than $100,000 each. caps and by market conditions.

Given the constraints on the City’s tax base and school system, According to analysis, most of the property in Gary costs more the opportunities for development need to consider the cost to service than it generates in taxes. This is due to a combination to deliver services. Based on what it costs the City to provide of low property values, State-imposed tax caps, and the rising services, each type of property must generate a minimum level TABLE 5-3. BREAK-EVEN TAX GENERATION BY of tax revenue to pay for the minimum level of services, as PROPERTY TYPE shown in Table 5-3. The Gary Community School Corporation spends approximately $1,800 of local money per student. Property Break-Even Tax Estimated Type Generation per Acre* Value per Acre Gary will need higher-value development that will generate Commercial $9,800 $445,000 more in taxes than it has to spend to service the land. The Industrial $3,200 $144,000 focus on restoring the tax base through redeveloping low-value Residential - $32,400 $1.48 M commercial and industrial land allows the City to leverage one Commercial** of its key assets and challenges – the large amount of vacant Residential - $3,000 $272,000 land. Restoring the tax base will allow the City to provide better Ownership** services and a higher quality of life for residents. *These values are based on a cost per acre - not the cost to individual owners or residents. **The tax generation applies to city tax revenues and does not consider school taxes or costs.

For more detrails on the ROI analysis, see Appendix C.

74 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan bolster thelocal economy andcreate jobgrowth. recent projects andbusiness investments that are helpingto significant made also has progress inrebuilding. The following it describessomeofthe but challenges, many has Gary RECENT SUCCESSES • • • •

investment of$10,000 andtraining inSeattle. delivery service with up to 40employees ifthey make an opportunities for peopleto develop theirown Amazon Interstate offers facility off The 94. and location 90 Interstate to access a with 65 and employees 500 with Gary Amazon. recently openedadelivery station in in 2019 andfinishin2020. begin will facility foot million square 250,000 $19.7 a The in investment 2023. through jobs 130 create will and be moving its headquarters from Bedford Park, IL to Gary Alliance Steel.AsofDecember 2018, Alliance Steel will fund. also donate $100,000 intotal to acommunity development Library.Public Inadditionto thepayment, U.S. Steel will Gary, Community Gary School Corporation, andthe Gary will generate $2millioninannualrevenue for theCityof products. The deal includes a payment in lieu of taxes that make sheetproducts, strip millplate incoils, andtin asset AMP billion $2 Steel’srevitalization program. The 3,800employees at thefacility U.S. of part as plant Works $750 million for state-of-the-art minimum technology into theirGary at investing, be will Steel U.S. U.S. Steel. industrial area around thiscrossing. infrastructure andhundreds ofacres for development inthe safety at thecrossing presents anopportunityfor increased of themost dangerous intheUnited States. Improving the crossing hasbeenthemost dangerous inIndiana andone to closethecrossing alongNorthClarkRoad. This railroad of Transportation’s new Local TRAX Rail Overpass program million in matching state funds through Indiana’s received $15.2 Department Gary 2018, December In Local TraxProject. Photo Caption Placeholder photo

75 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Gary’s jobs decline has been largely brought about by changes in the steel industry over the last 50 years, which has greatly reduced manufacturing employment. • Population loss has reduced Gary’s tax base, labor force, and the customer base for businesses that serve residents. • Gary features a high proportion of women and minority-owned small businesses. Increasing the locally-owned and operated businesses in the city could help to grow Gary’s economy and insulate it from external forces. • Gary needs partners with resources. The City of Gary can maximize its development opportunities by aligning its plan with The Northwest Indiana Forum to Ignite the Region strategy. • The three key growth sectors for the city include heavy industry, intermodal transportation and logistics, and agricultural products and food processing. • Gary must leverage its existing assets – location, available land, and transportation infrastructure – to reinvigorate its industrial sector as an engine for economic growth. • For Gary to grow its industrial base and the transportation and logistics industry, critical transportation assets (Buffington Harbor, the Gary/Chicago International Airport, freight rail, and truck routes) must be developed to better link the vacant, available land in Gary with intermodal transportation that provides easy access to customers and suppliers. • Gary has long suffered a structural deficit. Redevelopment must focus on generating property values and taxes that are higher than the cost to deliver services. • More employment districts are needed to build the tax base and provide more potential areas for jobs and development. • Gary has developed momentum with a string of recent business successes such as the Alliance Steel Headquarters and Amazon Delivery Station.

76 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 4 KEY PRIORITIES: access to qualityjobs. between resources andneeds,itneedsto address thedisconnect between residents andindustry residents sothat Gary have redevelops,As Gary itmust leverage thestrengths ofitsedgesto rebuild thecore. Itneedsto strategically address thedisconnect GARY’S ECONOMY: WHEREAREWEHEADED?

4. 3. 2. 1. Note: Someproperty willhavetoremaintax exempt, sotheCitymayonly be abletorealizesomeportion ofthismaximumamount.

and co-working spaces. with thelocaldevelopment efforts, vacant andunderusedspaces shouldbeconverted for business incubators, accelerators, regional resources shouldbeorganized in anetwork to coordinate andsupport entrepreneurship in the City ofGary. Partnering is nomechanismto coordinate theseprograms orensure that referrals are made to different providers. The existing state and and prosperity through locally-owned businesses. Anumber ofprograms andassets are already operating inthecity, butthere rates ofwomen andminority-owned businesses. canbecome Gary aCityofOpportunity andhelplocalresidents buildstability Make aCityofOpportunity. Gary Despite itsmany challenges,localentrepreneurship hastaken root inGary. The cityhashigh • • Grow theTax Base. The Cityshouldhelpgrow thetaxbasethrough acombination ofthefollowing strategies: opportunity sectors sothat landassembly andpreparation canbetargeted to generate thehighest impact. of locallaborforce exists. hasabundantvacant Gary landfor redevelopment, butitmust beevaluated to alignwiththese in theCityofGary. Redevelopment efforts shouldprioritize thesectors that canemploy theseresidents andwhere apipeline to industries targeted in the Ignite the Region plan, with a special emphasis on those that are also targets for development Develop OpportunitySectors. Workforce and training residents agencies should identify the poolofGary withskillstransferable development, there shouldbeadesignated singlepointofcontact for alloftheseproperties. intermodal sites shouldbedesignated ashighprioritiesfor investment anddevelopment inthenearterm. Inorder to facilitate other and airport the networks. parcels near trucking industrial Available and freight rail Harbor, the Buffington and - airport surrounding areas, aswell asthekey elementsoftheregional intermodal transportation infrastructure that complement the its goals. It must coordinate with regional partners to develop and market the Gary/Chicago International Airport and the Leverage Regional Resources andInvestments for Infrastructure. lackstheresources Gary to independentlyachieve allof

even withtheState-imposed taxcaps,itcould generate anadditional$39.5 millionannually. Convert Tax Exempt Properties to Taxable. If the City were to convert all of the tax-exempt properties into taxable properties, achieve break-even, itcould increase Gary’s property taxrevenues by asmuch$139 millionannually. Rising Tide. Target investments to improve underperforming properties, thosewithanegative ROI. Iftheseproperties can 4

77 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW KEY INDICATORS

The following is a list of key indicators that will be used going forward to understand trends, evaluate progress, and guide future decision-making as it relates to Gary’s economy.

• Jobs per Employed Resident. Representing both the city’s demographic challenges and strength as a jobs center, this measure tracks the evolution of the labor force and employment base in the city. • Jobs in Target Industry. Given the city’s focus on a few targeted sectors, this economic indicator captures the change in jobs (and businesses) within the city. • Structural Deficit. Overall this metric illustrates how effectively the city is bridging the gap between revenues and expenditures. • Woman and Minority-Owned Businesses. Women and minority-owned businesses are a key measure of the “City of Opportunity.”

78 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 79 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW Placeholder photo

80 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Gary’s natural landscape, better managestormwater, andrevitalize neighborhoodsthrough beautification and recreation. connect and protect, expand, can City the how for direction provides Lastly, future stormwater it management. and floodplains, section following The air. and water, land, city’s the of provides an overview quality of environmental conditions in the city, the including existing threaten open space and conservation land, wetlands, which of all dumping, illegal and species, invasive Yet these natural resource assets coexist alongside issues of severe flooding, polluted stormwater runoff, contaminated properties, park landinadditionto otherunmanagednatural areas andopenspaces. managed actively of acres 109 and wetlands,ecosystem, of conservedacresduneland 4,269of acres lakefront, 2,623 of miles 13 recreational opportunities, and its beauty. possessesGary both significant environmental assets and challenges. The city contains Lake Michigan.The IndianaDunesecosystem isspecialfor anumberofreasons, includingitsbiodiversity, rare native species, existsGary within the Indiana Dunes ecosystem, a unique and diverse coastal environment that spans the southern shores of Nature

81 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW At a Glance

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82 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 83 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW EXISTING CONSERVATION LAND

Gary’s existing conservation areas reflect an Indiana Dunes ecosystem that existed prior to modern development. This ecosystem is comprised of sand dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests, all of which mix together over 15,000 acres and 15 linear miles of National Lakeshore, State preserves, land trust properties.

Formed from the movements of prehistoric glaciers, the Indiana Dunes stand at the crossroads of many different ecosystems, resulting in a unique mixture of soils and plant life that are rarely found in the same location. Jack pines that are common to the northern regions of Canada coexist with prickly pear cactus, more common to the American southwest. Reptiles like the Five-lined Skink and the Slender Glass Lizard, more commonly found in the American southeast, coexist with rare and endangered wildlife like the Karner Blue Butterfly. In total, over 1,400 species of vascular plants and over 900 different wildlife species exist in the Indiana Dunes, making it the 8th most diverse ecosystem in the National Park system. Due to its biodiversity and rare native species, the Indiana Dunes played an important early role in the development of ecology science, by serving as the living lab for Henry Cowles, an early 20th century botany scholar at the University of Chicago, known as the “father of plant ecology.”

The Indiana Dunes also boasts many globally-rare landscapes, including black oak savanna, an ecosystem where eastern Placeholder image hardwood forests meet western tallgrass prairies. Less than 0.02 percent of high-quality black oak savanna still exist in the Midwest, making the 1,045 acres in the Indiana Dunes a significant concentration of this rare feature. “Dune and swale” is also a globally-rare landscape found in the city and is Photo Caption

84 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Calumet River Prairie andWetland. Dune, ClarkandPineNature Preserve, Ivanhoe Nature preserve, andtheLittle the Lakein Gary: Michigan Coastline, Miller Woods/Green Heron Pond/Bayless throughout the city, there are five primary areas of conserved native landscape and inactive City parks. While remnant features of this ecosystem can be found Conservancy.Figure5-13 shows city, the conservationin land activewell as as Indiana DepartmentofNatural Resources, Shirley HeinzLandTrust, andNature acres ofconserved dunelandecosystem, managedby theNational Park Service, Serving asthewestern gateway to possesses theIndianaDunes,Gary 2,623 species. and receding coastlines. This landscape is home to many rare plant and animal composed ofparallel ridgeswithmarshy depressions formed by theglaciers from onefeature to the next. dunes, marshes,bogs,prairies, andasuccession ofunique plantlife running with trails to supportpublic access. This includesblackoaksavanna, forested possess theentire range ofuniquefeatures intheIndiana Dunesecosystem, owned by theNational Park Service andShirley HeinzLandTrust. The properties Miller Woods, Green lakefront, Heron Pond, and Bayless Dune are a combination of properties east Gary’s on neighborhood Miller the bookend to Serving BAYLESS DUNE MILLER WOODS/GREEN HERON POND/ National Park Service. The entirety of Gary’s beachfront is publicly-owned by the City of Gary and the addition to public beaches. The ecosystem is dynamic and perpetually shifting. total (over 22miles). This includesgrass-covered sandridgesandblowouts, in publicly-accessibleof beachfront, representing nearly16percentcomprised oftheregional is miles 3.5 Gary, in coastline Michigan Lake of miles 13 the Of LAKE MICHIGANCOASTLINE Infrastructure Plan. GreenGary LinkPlanandtheGreen This section draws heavily from the

85 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW CLARK AND PINE NATURE Park and IUN. The prairie and wetlands provide a critical buffer between the Little Calumet River and adjacent development PRESERVE during flood events.

Owned and managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the two primary parcels that comprise Clark and Pine Nature Preserve combine for approximately 300 acres GARY’S PARKS: NATURE of dune and swale landscape, including sand savanna, sand prairie, wet prairie, sedge meadow, emergent marsh, and shrub IN THE CITY swamp. These properties are located just east of the Gary/ Chicago International Airport and are completely surrounded The environment, of course, does not start and stop at by industrial uses and heavy infrastructure. the boundary lines of conservation land. Gary’s 57 parks, playgrounds, and totlots serve as critical sources of open space within the city’s neighborhoods. The following provides IVANHOE NATURE PRESERVE information on high-value natural resources at many of Gary’s parks (and a few school sites): Managed jointly by the Nature Conservancy and Shirley Heinz Land Trust, Ivanhoe Nature Preserve provides approximately 113 Marquette Park. The crown jewel of Gary’s park system, and acres of dune and swale, composed of black oak savanna, sandy abutting the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore property, beach ridges and narrow wetlands, with diverse communities of Marquette Park boasts numerous high-quality natural features flora and fauna. Ivanhoe is located directly to the west of Gary’s of the Indiana Dunes ecosystem, including sand dunes, lagoons, Brunswick neighborhood, with 5th Avenue (U.S. 20) splitting upland forests, and wetlands. The park underwent a $28 million the north and south portions of the property. redevelopment and enhancement in 2010, including restoration of the dunes, remediation of the lagoons, and installation of LITTLE CALUMET RIVER PRAIRIE wet prairies on the eastern portion of Grand Boulevard.

AND WETLANDS • Brunswick Park. One of the largest parks in the city, Brunswick possesses 33 acres of remnant black oak Running along the Little Calumet River from Cline Avenue to savanna, dune and swale, and upland forest, and has Martin Luther King Boulevard, hundreds of parcels make up been the focus of recent trail development and wetland this federally-designated floodplain area. The area is a mixture mitigation efforts. of wetland, prairie, and woodlands. This natural corridor is • Hatcher Park. Located in the Pulaski neighborhood, and managed by a combination of the Little Calumet River Basin sitting directly to the north of the wetlands that run along Development Commission, the Gary Department of Public the Little Calumet River corridor, Hatcher Park possesses Parks, and Indiana University Northwest (IUN). It is highlighted bottomland forests while the southern portion exists in the by an 80-acre site that is bisected by the Little Calumet River, floodplain. west of Broadway, and to the northwest of Gary’s Gleason

86 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan h Ct’ aiiy o fetvl mng conservation manage effectively to land andgreen infrastructure, ability by advancing thetraining City’s the development oftheUrbanConservation Team willincrease city’s the for re-entry population. Oversight, expansion, andcontinued development workforce on focused which initiative, Jobs” for “Gary City’s the of out grew originally Vacant existing the at to Vibrant sites inAetna. The UrbanConservation and Team parks, City’s the throughout infrastructure through the city, including Downtown, experts whomaintaindecorative landscaping and green a municipallandscapingcorps that includesplantandsoil Team,Conservation Urban City’s the is example An needs. city’s environmental assets withits workforce the development of management the connecting for critical also Partnerships withvarious environmental organizations are accessible natural areas for residents. and inmany instances, expands well-maintained, publicly- public agenciesandlandtrusts increases habitat for wildlife, a primaryfocus. Partnerships between theCityandthese consolidate fragmented habitat into acohesive property is In particular, acquisition ofparcels that connect and areas isaprimaryfocus oftheseorganizations andagencies. holdings, theacquisition ofvaluable, unprotected natural wetlands). Inadditionto oversight oftheirexisting land city’snaturalthe in areasenhancement(including activities in Gary, overseeing landmanagement, restoration and land trusts are the primary stewards of conservation land Irrespective of the habitat type, public agencies and nonprofit DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT &WORKFORCE landscaping businesses. successful habitat management, green infrastructure, and potentially serve asthebasisfor runningorworking at Conservation Team, they will develop skills that could for Jobs,andnew employees come through the Urban infrastructure local contractors. Asnew participantscome through Gary green on focus City’s workforce development willalsoincrease the capacityof the term, long the of alocalgreen infrastructure workforce inGary. Over

87 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-13. EXISTING CONSERVATION LAND AND ACTIVE CITY PARKS

88 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan • • • • •

Park includeamixture ofwetland, prairie, andwoodlands. Located just northwest ofIUN,LittleCalumetRiver Wetlands, andGleason Little CalumetRiverWetlandsandGleasonPark(southerncorridor). oak trees runningperpendicular. of upland woods on a preserved forested dune, with a corridor of black acres 8.5 nearly holds siteTaney school and Pyle Ernie vacant the Street, TollestonErnie PyleSchool.Locatedthe in Avenue19th at neighborhood overgrown, itpossesses significant wetland features. Basin Development Commission property. Whiletheparkisalmost entirely River Calumet Little and River,floodplain, Calumet the Little the of north neighborhood, standing at 47 acres, Diamond Park sits directly to the Diamond Park.Located at 25th Avenue and Prospect Street in the Pulaski park that includesanabandonedpool. of avacant schoolsite. The native features overlap withasectionofthe possesses 4acres ofnative prairie andwoodlands, onthenorthern portion Edison Park. species. native and rare include that forests and wetlands of acres 6.5 possesses Seberger Park. Located intheBrunswick neighborhood,Edison Park Located on Bell Street and 25th Avenue, Seberger Park SebergerAvenue, 25th and Street Bell on Located chapter. in theBuiltEnvironment sectionofthis City parks are described in more detail

89 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FLOODING AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

Gary struggles with significant flooding and stormwater issues. Little Calumet Rivers, ultimately ending up in Lake Michigan. This is a product of two main factors: impervious surfaces and As a result, Gary’s Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) have the high water table along its rivers. As a dense urban city with negative impacts on the water quality, and for this reason, a vast number of streets, parking lots, and existing structures, a the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) placed large percentage of the city’s surfaces are impervious, meaning the Gary Sanitary District (GSD) under a consent decree to that when it rains, stormwater is less likely to be absorbed better control its CSOs through the creation of a Long Term where it falls, and instead runs off into the City’s sewer system. Control Plan (LTCP). The LTCP will provide alternatives, design The second factor is the high water table along riparian areas and performance criteria, and a capital improvement schedule like the Little Calumet River. During rain events or periods of to assist GSD in reducing CSO-related pollution over a 25- snow melt, the river’s surface water can overrun its banks, and year period. Figure 5-16 shows Combined Sewer System and flood the adjacent areas, which is particularly problematic if Municipal Separated Stormwater Sewer System areas in the those areas have impervious surfaces. Excessive flooding and city. stormwater runoff can cause damage to existing structures and infrastructure in the city, and pose numerous threats to water quality, by overwhelming its sewer systems, and carrying MUNICIPAL SEPARATED pollutants into fresh water bodies. Figure 5-14 shows the STORMWATER SEWER SYSTEMS federally-designated floodplains in Gary. The following section describes the water quantity and water quality issues in Gary. (MS4S)

Gary also possesses a Municipal Separated Stormwater Sewer COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS System (MS4) as shown in Figure 5-16. Most of the MS4 areas are AND THE LONG TERM CONTROL located along the Little Calumet River, a riparian corridor prone to flooding, as well as Glen Park, and areas north of U.S. Route PLAN 20. In Gary as in other communities, MS4’s do not connect with wastewater treatment facilities. In turn, polluted stormwater Like many legacy cities, Gary has a combined sewer system runoff simply enters the MS4, and is disposed untreated into (see Figure 5-15 Gary Stormwater Diagram) that joins domestic the city’s water bodies. Due to the serious implications that sewage, industrial wastewater, and stormwater runoff into the this system can have on water quality, MS4’s are regulated same pipe. This system is designed to efficiently transport the by the U.S. EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental combined wastewater to a sewage treatment plant, where it is Management (IDEM) under the National Pollutant Discharge treated, and then discharged into a water body. The problem Elimination System (NPDES) through a permitting process. To with a combined sewer system is that during large storm reduce the risk of non-point source pollution from properties events, when a significant volume of stormwater rushes into and development sites in the city, the Gary Stormwater the system, the wastewater in this system will overflow and Management District undertakes a series of Minimum Control discharge polluted, untreated water into either the Grand or Measures (MCMs) with property owners and developers.

90 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 5 35th Avenue, andHarrisonStreet. Street, andraising theroad grade at ClarkRoad, Grant Street, atBurr improvements station pump includes This floodplain. in Gary, levees aswell asacquire andmanagecriticalparcels inthe River’s the to improve efforts significant made has levee system and adjacent floodplain. Since 2008, the LCRBDC Commission (LCRBDC), apublicauthority that oversees its The river the region. is managedby theLittleCalumetRiver BasinDevelopment throughout million $881 was flood the flooding massive experienced river and property damage. Intotal, itisestimated that the cost of the to adjacent sit that Calumet Little the to River) was closedfor aweek, andmany oftheneighborhoods parallel runs (which 80/94 Interstate flooded, NorthwestUniversity Indiana at campus the of much the region after nineinchesofrain fell in24 hours.InGary, the Little Calumet River flooded adjacent properties throughout Flooding isapersistent problem inGary. InSeptember 2008, RIVER FLOODING obligations from state andfederal agencies. City’s sewers and stormwater systems, and satisfy its regulatory This results inless revenues to fundbasicrepairs, modernize the payers. fewer rate from benefit but 200,000) of footprint city now managesystems that remain thesameinsize (builtfor a and resulting vacancy, utilitieslike theGSDandGSWMD must infrastructure systems. Dueto population loss, disinvestment, A key challenge facing theCityismaintainingtheseaging MAINTENANCE CHALLENGES factsheet-refs / MichiganStateGLISA.Retrieved fromhttp://glisa.umich.edu/gl-climate- ClimateChangeintheGreat Lakes RegionReferences.UniversityofMichigan on runoff and flooding citizens. of impact the reduce to space park infrastructure represents aclear opportunity to reprogram this vacant andmany active parksunderutilized, green stormwater like surfaces impervious roads and buildings. Additionally, with 27 of the City’s by 57 parks surrounded are parks City’s the Oftentimes builtinto adenseurbanenvironment, many of an ideallocation for installing green stormwater infrastructure. with assist to potential the as problems serving stormwaterflooding by and hold management also parks City’s the land, access with to recreational amenitiesandhighvalue conservation residents city’s the provide parks Gary’s of many While MANAGEMENT PARKS ANDSTORMWATER the in flooding. continue from damages will since of likelihood trend perent the increasing 35 this future, by anticipate increasing Scientists storms 1951. largest the during storms hasincreased, withtheamountofrain falling frequency and intensity of extreme weather and severe over by increased 13 percent across theU.S. has Great Lakeschange. region. Likewise the precipitation by climate annual total be impacted 1951, to Since likely is flooding Local 5

91 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-14. FEMA FLOODPLAINS

92 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Source: GaryGreenInfrastructure Plan FIGURE 5-15.GARYSTORMWATERDIAGRAM

93 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-16. GARY COMBINED SEWER SYSTEM AND MUNICIPAL SEPARATED STORMWATER SEWER SYSTEM

Source: Gary Green Infrastructure Plan.

94 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan KEY TAKEAWAYS • • • • • •

Vacant and inactive City parks provide an opportunity to reduce flooding and stormwater runoff through the through runoff stormwater and flooding reduce to opportunity installation ofgreen andblueinfrastructure. an provide parks City inactive and Vacant Vacant landprovides anopportunityto expand andconnect existing openspace andrecreation assets. sewer and stormwater prioritize to where infrastructureon to match future usersandsupportfuture growth.utilities, City’s the for framework a provide can plan This agencies. federal and state from obligations regulatory its satisfy stormwater,and and sewers City’s the modernize repairs, basic fund revenues less to in fewer from payers.results rate This benefit but size in same the remainsystems that Due to population loss, disinvestment, andresulting vacancy, utilitieslike theGSDandGSWMD must now manage Severe floodingand stormwater managementissues threaten thequalityofcity’s landand water. Much ofthecity’s most sensitive natural habitats sitdirectly adjacent to heavy industry. The isrichinnatural CityofGary assets, withuniqueand biodiverse habitats, suchastheduneandswale landscape.

95 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW GARY’S NATURAL CONTEXT: WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Even with the significant environmental assets and improvements made in Gary and Northwest Indiana over the last 50 years, the 21st century brings an emerging series of environmental challenges, driven increasingly by climate change. Future environmental efforts in the city will need to focus on expansion, restoration, and enhancement of Gary’s native landscape while balancing existing and future development with nature.

KEY PRIORITIES

1. Restore Ecological Health. As a legacy industrial city, Gary struggles with contamination issues on many of its industrial and commercial properties. In addition to contaminated brownfields throughout the city, the majority of the city’s developed land is built on an urban fill whose composition may not match that of the native soil, nor be clean enough to grow native plant species. In addition, climate change, stormwater runoff, poor soil conditions, existing transportation practices, and invasive species threaten the health and stability of Gary’s ecosystems. To restore the ecological health of natural areas in and around developed parts of the city, work must be done to remediate soil and water, and to remove invasive species. In addition, land use and development policies should be put into place that help limit the spread of invasive species and buffer natural assets from sources of pollution. 2. Balance Nature and Development. In planning the city’s future land use patterns, the task of balancing nature with existing and future development involves numerous complicating factors, including how to retrofit areas to better address environmental concerns without inhibiting development, or how to engage in vacant land management strategies that benefit other adjacent uses. While protecting natural areas is a critical concern, in a city like Gary that has struggled with disinvestment and a loss of jobs, population, and tax base, redevelopment and economic development are deeply critical needs. There are a number of measures that the City can take to balance industrial redevelopment with environmental protection. 3. Development regulations. Sound land use policies and development regulations should be put into place to guide a development’s location and apply controls on the environmental impacts from a particular land use (like air pollution, stormwater, etc.). 4. Wetland mitigation. Opportunity exists to establish wetland mitigation techniques such as restoration, creation, or enhancement of wetlands, to compensate for permitted wetland losses in industrial and redevelopment areas. 5. Green land buffers. The establishment of land buffers should serve as a key strategy in the City’s long-range planning. Land buffers are effective at reducing the impacts of development on water bodies and natural areas, mitigating flooding from water bodies and wetlands in developed areas, and balancing incompatible land uses (i.e., reducing the impact of industrial areas on residential areas). 6. Implement the Green Infrastructure Plan. The recently completed Gary Green Infrastructure Plan (2019) provides a blueprint for how the City can plan, implement, regulate, and manage green and blue infrastructure improvements across the city. As

96 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 8. 7.

creation inthecity. tourism asadriver for economic development andjob to draw visitors to theIndiana Dunesandpromote eco- and vacant properties. There is an unrealized opportunity in theregion who primarily view for Gary itsfactories hasaNationalthat Park Gary canbesurprisingto many the Chicagometro region andtheMidwest, andthefact unrecognized orunderappreciated environmental asset in That said, the IndianaDunescanoftentimes stand as an it highlyaccessible to apopulation ofaround 10million. proximity withinadensely-populated metro region makes it’s DowntownChicago,from mile 40 a than less Situated stands asonlyoneoffour national parksinthe Midwest. Promote Eco-Tourism.The IndianaDunesNational Park trailinfrastructure. Link’s Green the of implementation the and habitat the priorityofCity, includingbothrestoration of visionary a remain Link project, implementation ofthisconservation Green loopremains Gary the of acres 9,735 and miles 38.25 entire the While acquired. been has land trail hasbeenbuilt,and38.76 acres ofnew conservation of miles 1.2 2005, in adoption Plan’s the Since life. animal system, to the benefit of the city’s residents, plant life, and the of out 11 city’sconservationneighborhoods)intotraila 15 and loop (and ecosystems native various city’s the connecting and enhancing for vision a highlighted (2005) existing conservation assets,Green theGary LinkPlan Complete theGaryGreenLinkVision. Appendix B. further inChapter 6. PlanningFrameworks andprovided in neighborhoods. The Green Infrastructure Planisdiscussed water improve quality, address blightandvacant land, and revitalize runoff, stormwater and landscape, flooding natural reduce Gary’s restore and expand to ability the have projects beautification and gardens, community projects suchasgreen street corridors, stormwater parks, identified in the Plan, targeted green and blue infrastructure

Building upon Gary’s future decision-makingasitrelates to Gary’s environment. forward to understand trends, evaluate progress, andguide The following isalist ofkey indicators that willbeusedgoing KEY INDICATORS • • •

others are furtherimplemented andthenetwork grows. network andthosethat goon-lineastheGreen Linkand Miles ofTrails.Easilytracked by bothcurrently existing trail green infrastructure. moves implement Gary to developerseven as and profits, of Green Urbanism,federal partners,state partners,non- Worksof Public and Safety, Department theCity of Gary practices by SanitaryDistrict,Board theGary CityofGary standard to track progress onimplementingmodern Green Infrastructure Projects Completed. A basic Gary’s of various ecosystems andassets. health the monitor to way a and stewardship, Acres ofConservationLand.Agoodindication of

97 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW Placeholder photo

98 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan limiting theopportunity to access jobsbeyond theCitylimits. transportation hub, many residents Gary have limited access to anautomobile andrely onpublictransportation for mobility, the years ofdeferred maintenance andextent ofthenetwork itself. given Likewise challenge whilethecitywill continue to serve asaregionalfiscal a remains network street local the of condition poor general the but creation), job (and expansion facility Gary’s extensive transportation network is both a blessing and a burden. It offers incredible opportunities for freight and intermodal 500 milesofsidewalks, andseveral hundred milesofalleys. Figure 5-18 shows thetransportation network inGary. hundredsand railindividual of connectingspurs trackmainline to adjacent properties. The overhas city 435 streets,local of miles inactivetrackof miles activetrack,48 of miles 108 with limits City existheavywithin railmainline of miles Over150 intersections. Within Gary, there are 67 miles of Interstate Highways and 54 miles of U.S. and State Highways served by multiple interchanges and transportation network. ShorecommuterSouth servesrailthe line addition, tomove residentsregion.throughoutFigure the 5-17 Gary shows regionalthe the region andmany industrial parcels withinthecityhave access to rail through existing rail spursorthepotential for new spurs.In street network iswell connected to theregional grid.The extensive railroad network facilitates freight mobilityto andthrough Gary iseasilyaccessibleGary from multipleinterstates, theregional highway network, andmajorroadways, and thelayout ofthelocal is awell-establishedGary regional transportation hub based on its strategic location and robust network of transportation assets. Transportation

99 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW At a Glance

PLACEHOLDER FOR INFOGRAPHIC SPREAD

100 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 101 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-17. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION CONTEXT

102 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-18. LOCAL TRANSPORTATION CONTEXT

103 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW Despite this success, the single largest challenge to the roadway ROADWAYS network in Gary is the condition of the local street network. Deferred maintenance, limited State and federal funding, lack The following section describes Gary’s existing roadway of revenue to provide local match requirements (usually 20 network, including highways, the local street network, and percent of project costs) to leverage state and federal funds, designated truck routes. Figure 5-19 illustrates the roadway the size of the network, and the volume of needs present network across the city. significant challenges. Local streets will continue to degenerate as maintenance continues to be deferred which in turn will require more intensive rehabilitation work. Further, the local HIGHWAYS street network is greatly impacted by flooding and drainage issues and the deterioration of drainage structures complicates Gary has robust interstate and highway access. Interchange roadway maintenance and rehabilitation and increases overall locations within the city from the highway network have project costs. Gary’s green infrastructure initiative (see the generally remained the same over the past several decades. The Green Infrastructure Plan, outlined in Chapter 6 and provided in non-tolled interstate and regional highway network in Gary and Appendix B) is intended to help reduce the costs of addressing throughout Northwest Indiana is operated and maintained by drainage issues throughout the city. the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Generally, the system is in good operating condition. Interchange and Mobility within the city is also hampered by one-way streets, access improvements, such as reconfiguration of the I-80/94 at-grade crossings of roadway and rail lines, the condition of and I-65 system interchange and the redesign of the I-65 and sidewalks, and the lack of “complete streets” that facilitate Ridge Road were completed in recent years and an expansion vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle travel. of I-80/94 was completed in 2008. LOCAL STREET NETWORK TRUCK ROUTES The interstates and highways that traverse Gary are also part Gary’s original street network has remained largely intact. of the National Truck Network that allows trucks of a certain Local streets, traffic signals, signs, sidewalks, and alleys are weight, size, and length to use the system without a permit. operated and maintained through the City’s Department of INDOT further classifies certain routes as Indiana Extra Heavy- Public Works. The City conducts routine maintenance, repair, Duty Highways designated to carry heavy loads that exceed the and rehabilitation of the local street network with a mixture National Truck Network Standard. These routes are specifically of local, State, and federals funds. The City is required by designed to withstand heavy loads associated with steel INDOT to maintain a Pavement Asset Management Plan (PAM manufacturing. U.S. 20 (Dunes Highway), SR 912 (Cline Avenue), Plan) to track, manage, and prioritize decisions related to and 15th Avenue (north) are designated as Extra Heavy-Duty roadway preservation and to support applications for federal- Highways. Beyond the Extra Heavy-Duty Highways designation, aid projects. Since 2014, 83.2 miles of local streets have been many other arterial and local streets are designated as truck repaved within the city routes, increasing conflicts with pedestrians and cyclists. Figure

5-20 shows existing truck routes through the city.

104 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-19.EXISTINGROADWAYNETWORK

105 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-20. TRUCK ROUTES

106 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan completion. A portionofthetrail has beendeveloped withadditionalsections plannedfor the Lake Michiganshoreline, Grand CalumetRiver, andtheLittle CalumetRiver. Link isa30-milemulti-use trail visioncircling thecityandproviding access to The Marquette Trail ispartoftheoverall Green Linksystem. The Green Gary former/abandoned railroad ROW. Miller Woods sectionwest ofGrand Blvd inthevicinity ofU.S. Steel that involves associated withobtaininglegalRight-of-Way (ROW), particularlythrough the Greenway)Gary have notbeendeveloped dueto complex real estate issues planned trail from Grand Blvd to ClineAvenue (MillerWoods Greenway andthe (Miller Marquette Greenway Section)–but the remaining sectionsofthe A portionofthetrail isconstructed –from County LineRoad to Grand Blvd River from County Line Road in Miller to Cline Avenue on the west side of Gary. Marquette Greenway Trail that runsalong thelakeshore andtheGrand Calumet regional interconnected,trail system. an Part of this system of lies developmentwithin Gary and is the identified as the proposed Plan Marquette 2005 The the Shirley Heinze LandTrust. Department, theLittleCalumetRiver Basin,Indiana Dunes National Park and Parksincluding the Gary Department, Lake County Park and Recreation entities severalby maintained and operated, owned, is system trail The 5-21. limited on-street facilities, has13milesofopentrails Gary asshown inFigure streets are in Gary notdesigned to safely accommodate bicyclists. Despite the Park in Miller and certain trail segments that use an on-street component. Most Dedicated on-street bicycle facilities withinthecityare limited to Marquette conditions are poorandcontinue to deteriorate dueto alackofmaintenance. of network an extensive local street network, the condition of sidewalks varies the but generally sidewalkhas Like grid. street its with associated miles, Gary 500 approximately sidewalks, cyclists. accommodate to retrofitted of thesidewalks androadways and becausevery few citystreets have been Walking andbicycling ischallengingdueto inGary thegeneral condition FACILITIES BICYCLE ANDPEDESTRIAN COMPLETE STREETS to maximize efficiency for allmodes. with “Complete Streets” policiesanddesigns for all usersandare often usedinconjunction enhance safety, increase access andmobility diets are low cost, highvalue projects that and/or bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Road lane, allowing additionalspace for transit lanes, lane roadway to two lanes with a center turn road dietproject could includereducing afour- paths, andoff-street parking.For instance, a uses suchasbike lanes,sidewalks, multi-use of lanes to accommodate othertransportation reconfiguration the existing roadways to reduce vehicular travel involve diets Road ROAD DIET promote safety andactive transportation. roadway designguidelines. Complete streets local levels andare frequently supported by Street policiesare setat thestate, regional, and andlighting, landscaping, more. Complete narrower travel lanes,streetscapes, accessible pedestrian signals,curbextensions, opportunities, median islands, crossing transportation stops, frequent and safe bus lanes,comfortable andaccessible public bike lanes(or widepaved shoulders), special A complete street may include: sidewalks, manner that issuitableto thelocalcontext. that provides safe andconvenient travel ina riders, andseniors.Acomplete street isone commercial goods,pedestrians, publictransit persons with disabilities, motorists, movers of users ofstreets includingbicyclists, children, that isdesignedto meettheneedsofall balanced, multimodal transportation network The term “Complete Streets” refers to a

107 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW The 2005Green LinkPlaniscan be found at… FIGURE 5-21. TRAIL AND BIKEWAY NETWORK

108 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan favor buses,andinstalling busstop infrastructure andMerrillville. inGary Gary, the Broadway corridor – roadway resurfacing, installing “bypass lanes”that of Transportation (INDOT) has taken the lead on capital improvements along Since thecompletion oftheLivable Broadway Plan,theIndianaDepartment BROADWAY METRO EXPRESS employment, intermodal transit, andoverall growth oftheregion. below. GPTC views itsrole ashaving alarge stake incommunity development, service alongBroadway from Downtown to Gary Merrillville, furtherdescribed modernization, and improved connections. In 2018, GPTC introduced rapid bus Some ofits recent improvements include more frequent service, infrastructure Township, Crown Point, East Chicago, Griffith, Hammond,sevenother TheFigureshown 5-22. in regional network routes reachCalumet Hobart, and Merrillville. local network –routes that operate completely limits,as withintheCityofGary It currently operates 12routes inNorthwest Indiana.Five ofthesecomprise the priority since the launch of the region’s first modern intercity bus routes in and 1974 1996. in created GPTC through enablinglegislation. Lines GPTC maderegional transit Intercity a Gary purchased Gary of City The city. the within Transportation Public Gary Corporation (GPTC) provides publictransit service GPTC BUSSERVICE Gary. regionally. The following section describes the transit network and services in for access to employment, education, andservices withinthecityandmore Transit service hasalways inGary beenalocalandregional transportation asset TRANSIT including theMarquette Trail Greenlink andGary Trail. connect key neighborhoodsandresidents to otherproposed trail extensions elevated train linethrough theMidtown neighborhoodofGary. The trail would planning initiative that focuses ontheredevelopment ofanabandoned, Also shown Elevate on the map is the Gary trail project, a broad-based immersive

the IndianaPlanningAssociation in2016. Honorable Mentionfor Outstanding Planby multi-faceted approach was worthy of Broadway livable andbarrier-free. The oriented landuseefforts that would make with a “toolbox” of ecological and transit- transit-friendly, andproviding communities and Merrillville, redesigning theroad to be upgrading transit onBroadway inGary Regional Planultimately recommended the corridor. The Livable Broadway sustainability and land use issues on it would includeexamining potential When the planning effort was launched, mobility study oftheBroadway corridor. In 2013 GPTC received agrant to funda LIVABLE BROADWAY PLAN

109 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-22. TRANSIT NETWORK

110 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan station locations inGary: and downtown Chicagofor over 100years. The SSL hasthree District (NICTD). The SSL has provided service between Gary is operated by theNorthwest IndianaCommuter Transportation Airport to MillenniumStation inDowntown electric-powered Chicago, Illinois.SSL 90-mile a is commuter rail linethat (SSL) operates from SouthBendInternational Line Shore South The PASSENGER RAIL 33 percent from 2017. up rides, total 218,350 was 2018 in ridership Bmx access. are expressing interest incoordinating site layout withtransit building designedto maximize transit, andotherdevelopers Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech jointly opened a new requested (three andoneinMerrillville). inGary Inaddition, artwork. Since its inception, four new Bmxstops have been to busstops including prominent signage, sleekshelters, and approaches. Inaddition,substantial improvements have made incorporating limited stops andbus-onlylanesat station brought light rail elements and improved service speed by has Bmx the service, bus” “rapid branded first State’s the As Express –Bmxfor short–was finallylaunched. Broadway neighborhoods.InFebruary 2018, Broadway Metro fund acontest for branding andcorridor artwork to improve in fundingfeeder service. The Legacy Foundation alsohelped the Town ofMerrillvilleandIvy Tech signedagreements to assist regional impactontravel between andothercommunities, Gary grant fundingfor operations oftheservice and,recognizing the assisted infundingthebusstop infrastructure. GPTC received Merrillville, Stormwater and the Gary Management District • •

Gary MetroGary Center (Broadway and4th) Gary/Chicago Airport(Clark Road) little over anhour. 1,100 passengers andtheaverage commute to Chicago isa Total weekday ridershipfrom stations theGary isapproximately 6 commuter rail (South Shore Line), and passenger rail (Amtrak’s versus inactive track lines.At-grade crossings includeheavy rail, active betweendifferentiate not does are FRA’sprivate.database 24 another and crossings public are 118 Gary; of City the approximately 142at-grade rail androadway crossings within According to theFederal RailAdministration (FRA)there are RAIL CROSSINGS ANDBRIDGES of the Gary/ north Steel, Chicago International Airport. U.S. and Harbor Buffington near Yardoperations Kirk Gary its in $150M overinvested recently and CSX, (NS), Southern Canadian National (CN), alongwithnumerous beltlines.CNhas Norfolk railroads: I Class three by network withintheCityofGary, largely owned andoperated accommodate freight movement. There isanextensive railroad been developed inNorthwest Indianaover thepast 100years to Given itsproximity to Chicago, anextensive rail network has FREIGHT RAIL docs/environmental-assessment-appendicies Environmental Analysis.Retrieved fromhttps://www.doubletrack-nwi.com/ The nearest station islocated inChicagoat UnionStation. city.the stopwithin not does CSX),it with (onraillines shared While Amtrak passenger rail alsorunsthrough theCityofGary stations.

Northern IndianaCommuterTransportation DistrictDouble-Track •

Lake Street/Miller (Lake Street andU.S. 12) 6 Figure 5-23 shows the South Shore Line and

111 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-23. SOUTH SHORE LINE MAP

112 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-24. REGIONALFREIGHTRAILNETWORK

113 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-25. RAIL CROSSINGS

114 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-26.RAILCROSSING ACCIDENTS

115 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW use of CSX’s line). These at-grade crossings impede mobility for the driving public, freight and goods movements, emergency BUFFINGTON HARBOR service providers, bicycles, and pedestrians and present safety concerns for everyone. Abandoned railroad bridges also pose (PORT) a concern; many are in very poor condition and in some cases the presence of abandoned railroad bridges impede truck Buffington Harbor is located in the northwest corner of the City movements creating impediments for under-utilized properties on Lake Michigan and was built in the late 1920’s to facilitate or properties available for redevelopment. shipping from the Universal Portland Cement Company. The harbor is approximately 55 acres with a 2,000-foot pier and FRA’s 2019 Web Accident Prediction System (WBAPS) Report 1,200 feet of breakwater (including a small lighthouse). A portion (FRA, May 2019) provides five years of accident data (2014- of the harbor was sold in 1995 to facilitate the development 2018) for 94 at-grade public crossings in the City of Gary. A of water-based casino operations. Access to the Buffington total of 23 at-grade crossing locations in Gary report accidents. Harbor area, including the Casino was recently improved by Six locations reported two or more accidents, including: the development of Buffington Harbor Drive off Cline Avenue which included a new grade separation (bridge) and roadway • Lake Street crossing (155637W) with CSX – 7 accidents improvements. • Clark Road crossing with NS (522646H) – 5 accidents Access and mobility within the Buffington Harbor industrial • Old Hobart Road crossing with CSX (155633U) – 3 accidents area is a challenge due to the presence of heavy trucks, severe • Clay Street crossing with Northern Indiana Commuter flooding, and low clearance bridges. Most trucks enter and exit Transportation District (870879M) – 2 accidents the Buffington Harbor area (including U.S. Steel) via Clark Road which includes five railroad crossings. The Clark Road crossing • County Line Road crossing with NS (522639X) – 2 accidents has been identified as the most dangerous at-grade crossing • Grant Street / Ridge Road crossing with NS (478677M) – 2 in the State of Indiana and in the top ten nationwide. Further, accidents Buffington Harbor Road that runs through the industrial area requires rehabilitation and upgrades including intersection An additional 17 crossings report at least one accident between improvements to better accommodate truck traffic, particularly 2014-2018. Rail crossings and rail crossing accident data are oversize loads (height and weight). shown in Figure 5-25 and Figure 5-26. Casino operations currently dominate the use of Buffington Harbor proper. These land uses impede industrial use of the harbor and further development of the port and port-related facilities within the Buffington Harbor industrial area. However, there are significant changes proposed for the harbor and its surrounding area. Legislation was recently passed by the Indiana State Assembly that will allow casino operations in Gary to relocate from Buffington Harbor. This enabling legislation will

116 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan of three Class I railroad lines and Buffington Harbor on Lake Michigan. The Michigan. on Lake Harbor Buffington and lines railroad I Class three of I-90, I-80/94, I-65, and SR 912 (Cline Ave) and located in the immediate vicinity Midway after and O’Hare International. airport The airport is easily 3rd accessible by Interstatesunofficial Chicago’s as to referred often and Loop Chicago the from miles 25 is airport 663-acre the 1954, in Opened 5-27). Figure (see 912 SR of intersection the and TollRoad) (Indiana I-90 of north just city the The Gary/Chicago International Airportislocated inthenorthwest corner of INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GARY/CHICAGO within thelarger Buffington Harbor industrial area over thenext few years. facilitate theexpansion oftheportandredevelopment andindustrial expansion Photo Caption Placeholder image Development Framework Plan. currently intheprocess ofdrafting the presence. The GPA Board of Directors is establishing itselfasaland and maritime GPA intends to advance, asapartof documents thepriorityinitiatives the Framework (GPA Plan Framework) also Development GPA’s statutorily The authority. GPA’s authorized mission, vision,andgoverning the five communicates next the over years, GPA aDevelopment Plan Framework the guide To as an transportation tool. agencies affiliated economic development andmultimodal its and Gary and may be leveraged by the City of both maritimeandnon-maritimeactivity and business enterprise powers, for Buffington Harbor. in The GPA hasbroad governmental infrastructure port based water-just not Gary; of City entirethe the municipal port district, which encompasses encourage port development within the activated andstatutorily authorized to port stagnation. In 2017, the GPA was re- concurrent withthenational periodof being established, theGPA went dormant, Gary, Indiana (the“City”)Code. However, of in after City the codified of seq., is et 2-1469, and Sec. 1977, 1, February on 5247 No. Ordinance by established was The Port Authority ofGary, Indiana(GPA) GARY PORT AUTHORITY

117 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-27. AIRPORT AND PORT

118 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan which ishighlyvalued for conservation andprotection. water table, existing wetlands, andhistoric remnants ofduneandswale habitat Michigan and the Grand Calumet River, the area around the airport has a high Lake to proximity its Given (brownfields). contamination environmentalhave around theairporthave known environmental contamination orare reputed to airport operations orcomplicate airportexpansion. Further, many properties private landowners someofwhichhave operations that are incompatible with a challengefor expansion planning. Currently, theairportissurrounded by Existing landusesandenvironmental constraints around theairportpresent lines are located immediately to thenorth. route to theairport,hasundergone substantial improvements. Extensive rail The airporthasrobust highway access andAirportRoad, theprimarylocal 2017. in completed Center Flight Corporate $3M Center’s Jet Gary including (FBOs) at theAirport have alsoinvested millions ofdollarsinto theirfacilities runway andapron rehabilitation projects. The private Fixed BaseOperators of a new U.S. Customers construction andBorder Control (CBP) facility in2018, andvarious the 2015, in runway main the of extension long-awaited the including improvements infrastructure of $50M over completed has airport 2001 Airport Master Comprehensive Plan and the 2008 City of Gary Plan. The the of development the since changes significant undergone has airport The growth andtheregion. withinGary airport is a critical regional transportation asset and an engine for economic region. and thegreater Chicagometropolitan transportation needsofnorthwest Indiana area facilities to meettheaviation and terminal and airfield both improve Plan willalsooutlineopportunitiesto and otherkey stakeholders. The Master administration, operators, CityofGary, the goals and objectives of the airport forecast for thenext 20years andalign 2019). The new plan will provide an aviation updating its Master Plan (expected late The airportiscurrently intheprocess of MASTER PLAN develoment. This concept issimilarto transit-oriented quality isimproved withintheseclusters. COD inmind,employment andliving and developing vacant properties with needs. By improving abandonedlands operations together to serve industry by bringingdistribution and industrial increase localemployment opportunities The purposeofaCOD framework isto jobs andgenerate economic vitality. create efficiencies, capture development, transportation or logistic clusters to spur to TOD) that focuses onusingfreight planning and zoning framework (similar Cargo-oriented development (COD) isa DEVELOPMENT (COD) CARGO-ORIENTED

119 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW (Reference?_Should we provide alink?). was completed in2010andcan befound at… The Strategic BusinessPlanfor theAirport Placeholder image

Photo Caption

120 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan KEY TAKEAWAYS • • • • • •

port facilities andintermodal/logistics facilities. Harbor by expanding existing port operations, anddevelop deep operations Harbor provides in Gary an opportunity to redevelop Buffington Buffington and are Airport underutilized assets. Enablinglegislation to relocate casino International Gary-Chicago The within Northwest Indiana. residentslimits theabilityofGary to access jobs,goods,andservices the lackofatrueregional transit system and lackofvehicle ownership is provided by Transportation Public theGary Corporation. However, Local and limited regional transit (Gary, Merrillville and Hammond) movements dueto theirlow profile. condition and/or impederedevelopment by blockingpotential truck are also several abandoned railroad bridges that are in very poor crossings in the City would benefit from safety improvements. There expensive andtimeconsuming to designandconstruct. Many rail road orrail ordeveloping anunderpass. These projects are very proposed. Grade-separation projects involve eitherbridgingthe Many citystreets already dead-endat railroad tracks andmore are include safety improvements, crossing closures, orgrade separation. concerns andimpedemobility. The remedy for at-grade crossings with roadways creating at-grade intersections that posesafety hasanextensiveGary network ofactive rail linesthat intersect “Complete from Streets” redesign and/or Road Diets. benefit would neighborhoods in streets key and There are few on-street bicycle facilities inthecity. Majorcorridors deferred maintenance anddrainage issues. Much ofthelocalstreet network, includingsidewalks, suffer from rail. mobility are well served by Interstate andHighway access andheavy roads, rail, airport, transit, and port facilities. Regional access and hasarobustGary multimodaltransportation network comprised of and private investment. congestion relief andleveraging ofpublic provides opportunitiesfor revitalization, on publicinvestments intransit and growth around transit stations capitalizes people to usethetransit system. Focusing while promoting densitiesto encourage access to transit fosters development, community context, andconvenient Successful TOD projects focus on recreational) around transit stations. development (commercial, residential, promotes dense, walkable, mixed-use a planningandzoning framework that Transit-oriented development (TOD) is DEVELOPMENT (TOD) TRANSIT-ORIENTED

121 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW GARY’S TRANSPORTATION NETWORK: WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Transportation and infrastructure planning, projects, and priorities should align with land use and economic development initiatives. Major improvements should be tied to key corridors, tax, and/or job-generating assets, and improve mobility for people and goods. Significant funding decisions have been made and projects are currently in the queue with both state and federal partners, however the City can continue to look for more opportunities to maximize its transportation assets.

KEY PRIORITIES

1. Focus Investment to Leverage Gary’s Position in the Regional Transportation Network. Targeted investments can take advantage of Gary’s unique link in the regional network. One hundred years ago, the Northwest Indiana Region built around Gary. As a result, all roads lead through Gary (both literally and figuratively). The City can leverage its position to ensure investment continues to be made in Gary as the regional transportation network modernizes. 2. Prioritize Accessibility and Connectivity to Employment. Land use policies and investments should continue to provide the greatest returns on investment. Gary’s public transit should enable connectivity to job centers; bike routes should facilitate alternative methods to access job centers and transit for those residents without a car; land use policies and zoning regulations should facilitate transit-oriented development around Gary’s major transit stops and cargo-oriented development in Buffington Harbor. 3. Modernize the City’s infrastructure to get the largest Return on Investment. NIRPC’s Complete Streets policy serves as a guide to ensure multiple modes of transportation are considered when new infrastructure is installed or upgraded. This concept can be followed with better coordination between utility providers, the Gary Sanitary District, and the City of Gary. Excess infrastructure can be identified and investments in isolated neighborhoods can be avoided to the benefit of taxpayers as Gary embraces the changes that affect the city’s built footprint. 4. Integrate Infrastructure Data by Utilizing G-STADS. Continue to utilize and invest in the City’s central data system network, shared with the Gary Sanitary District, to better coordinate investments in areas where they make the biggest impacts to the infrastructure system and on residents’ collective quality of life.

122 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan decision-making asitrelates to Gary’s transportation context. The following isalist ofkey indicators that willbeusedgoingforward to understand trends, evaluate progress, andguidefuture KEY INDICATORS • • •

Transit Ridership.NumberofridersusingGPTC busandBRT service. network. given year. This and funding are the key indicators to track progress in modernizing Gary’s outdated,Completed Projects yet robust, transportation public investments withprioritiesasarticulated inthisdocument. match to ability City’s the measures This funding. grant and private, federal, state, through projects transportation related Funding. Amountoffundingsecured andexpended for infrastructure, road maintenance, green infrastructure, andother . Projects completed by SanitaryDistrict, theGary CityofGary, GPTC, orpartnerorganizations inany

123 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW Placeholder photo

124 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Project. Italsoincludeskey strategies to promote asafe, healthy, andequitablecommunity for current andfuture residents. Gary Cities 500 CDC the census),decennialand betweenthe Survey dataCommunity socio-economictabulates American (which the This includesageandgender, race andethnicity, education, health,safety, arts,andculture. Data isdrawn from theU.S. Census, This sectionprovides ageneral overview ofthecurrent demographic, social,educational, andcultural conditions intheCityofGary. term prosperity. AstheCityevolves, itmust protect andenhance theassets that make itagreat place to live, work, andrecreate. recoverylong- Gary’s toand critical are and priority community a as up consistentlycame jobs accessto and education, health, public safety issues, low workforce participation, low educational attainment, and significant health issues. Improving public safety, As the City’s population and resources have declined, residents have been faced with an increasingly poor quality of life, including Social Context

125 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW At a Glance

PLACEHOLDER FOR INFOGRAPHIC SPREAD

126 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 127 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW age residents leaving Gary, and older residents aging in place DEMOGRAPHICS (see Figure 5-28.). In addition, of the total households in Gary with children under 18, approximately 6,000 or 57 percent are Understanding Gary’s demographics will help planners, public headed by single parents, making access to childcare and after health professionals and city decision makers plan for change, school programs a high priority. and target appropriate programs and services. Information on age and sex of a population are important because people In 2000, according to the U.S. Census the City of Gary’s largest of different ages and gender have different health needs. household segment was the “baby boomer” generation, or For example, women of child-bearing age may have specific those born between 1946 and 1964. Gary’s aging population maternal health needs, while senior adults are considered more will continue to grow as other segments decline, as “boomers” vulnerable and may have more chronic health issues. age in place, younger residents move away, and the pace of new residents moving in continues to slow. Race and ethnicity also play a role in determining health outcomes due to various distinct social, economic, and FIGURE 5-28. AGE OF POPULATION environmental factors. Knowing the racial composition of a community can provide context about culturally-appropriate solutions. Current population demographics are compared to past numbers, as well as comparisons to Indiana and Lake County to give perspective on the contrast between Gary and the neighboring region.

Although Gary has seen significant population decline over the last 50 years, the rate of decline is slowing and the population seems to be stabilizing. Between 2010 and 2016, the total population declined by about three percent, as compared to a 22 percent population decline between 2000 and 2010. The current population of Gary is just under 80,000 people.

Gary is a predominately African-American community. The majority of the population, 81 percent, identifies as Black, compared to 24 percent for Lake County and nine percent for Indiana.

The population of Gary contains a greater percentage of both younger (under 18) and older residents (over 65) than the county and state. Paralleling national trends, the city has seen a shift in age distribution in recent years, with working

128 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-29POPULATION DENSITY

129 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-30 PERCENT POPULATION CHANGE 2011-2016

130 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan and better health outcomes. increased income, higher levels of nutrition and physical fitness, Increased levels ofeducation have beenassociated with region. the in jobs for competing when disadvantage significant a at holding abachelorsdegree orhigher. This residents putsGary in theChicagometro area, with37 percent ofthepopulation percentstate.even25 the foris Educational attainment higher only 13percent ascompared to 21percent for Lake County and 5-31,percentagethe collegea populationwith degreethe of is County, Chicago metro region, andstate. Asshown inFigure Overall educational attainment levels lagbehindthe inGary Figure 5-4 shows the active and inactive schools within the city. middle schoolsince Williams Annex closedinDecember 2016. between hasbeenwithouta public 2008and2018, andGary School Corporation (GCSC) hasclosedanumberofschools confidence district school the in low.remains Gary Community in hopesofattracting students backto thedistrict. However, debts its tackling improving and buildings, academics fixing — emergency management team to school district run the Gary education remains anissue inGary. In2017 theState tasked an while schools, charter attend others attend schoolsinadjacent cities.Access to quality children city’s the half number,nearly that Of Estimates). 5-year 2010 to (ACS 2010 compared in 17,518 2018-2019), Education of Department Indiana was approximately 13,136 students (K-12 SchoolEnrollment - 2018-2019 for enrollment school K-12 The Gary. in enrollment As theoverall population ofthecityhasdeclined,soschool INCOME EDUCATION AND FIGURE 5-31. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Placeholder graphic

131 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW A family of two college graduates earns on average over FIGURE 5-32. MODIFIABLE LIFESTYLE HEALTH $30,000 more than a family of two high school graduates. RISK FACTORS Household median income in Gary is approximately $28,895, approximately half that of Lake County. This is further compounded by the fact that median household income in Gary has fallen by 26 percent since 1999.

Poverty and income are strongly associated with a person’s health. Mortality and morbidity rates typically increase for people with lower incomes, creating health disparities. Likewise, poor health can contribute to reduced income, limiting workforce participation and contributing to the phenomena known as the “poverty-trap.” As income inequity continues to grow, it is likely that health disparities will also increase over time. COMMUNITY HEALTH

A community’s overall health depends on many factors. Eating well, staying active, and seeing a doctor all influence health. Health, however, is also influenced by access to social and economic opportunities, the quality of education, neighborhood conditions, workplace safety, and the cleanliness of water and Quality of life in Gary is dramatically impacted by public health air, among others. These conditions influence why some people factors. Gary ranks high in modifiable lifestyle health risk factors are healthier than others, and why where people live and work such as obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity, particularly matter to community health. when compared to rates for the County and state (see Figure 5-32). The top three causes of death – chronic lower respiratory disease heart disease, and stroke – have some of the same Measures of health status provide information on the health- risk factors, including poor diet and lack of physical activity. related quality of life for Gary residents. Self-perceived health Better access to nutritious food and more opportunities for status is a measure of how a person perceives his or her health physical activity could reduce Gary residents’ vulnerability to and is a useful indicator of health, allowing comparisons across these diseases. Poverty, low levels of education, and lack of different populations and geographies. Individuals may choose access to health care may also contribute to these causes of excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor when responding to death. Unfortunately, a significant number of Gary residents, this survey question. Figure 5-33 shows the proportion of approximately 26 percent, are uninsured, which further adults over age 18 who report poor physical health. The map contributes to poor health outcomes in the city. illustrates significant differences across the city in terms of reported health status.

132 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-33. PROPORTION OFGARY RESIDENTS WHOREPORT POORPHYSICAL HEALTH

133 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Environmental health covers a wide range of topics that include the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person that impact overall human health. The subject includes air pollution, the quality of drinking water, exposure to chemicals in building and cleaning materials, exposure to soils containing toxic substances, and other similar exposures. Understanding environmental health conditions is a complex problem. There are tens of thousands of substances in our environment. Some of these substances may be harmless, while others are highly toxic; some may cause short-term health issues while exposure to others may cause long-term, chronic health impacts that could lead to death.

High concentrations of heavy manufacturing uses combined with heavy traffic on I-90, I-80, I-94, and I-65 contribute to poor air quality days, which can result in respiratory illness, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer. Fine particulate matter can cause asthma attacks in children, in addition to impaired lung function, premature death and death from cardiovascular diseases, and cardiovascular morbidity. While children, youth, and the elderly are among the most vulnerable, all community members are at risk. Figure 5-34 Placeholder photo shows percentage of days over national air quality standards for fine particulate matter in Gary.

Gary residents, as well as Lake County residents, also suffer from high rates of asthma. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that includes inflammation and intermittent narrowing of the airways. Asthma can cause repeated episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. Asthma attacks are triggered by a number of factors, including smog, Photo Caption dust, pollen, and smoke. Over 12 percent of adults in Gary are asthma sufferer with significant differences by neighborhood in the city (Figure 5-35).

134 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan (PM 2.5) FIGURE 5-34. PERCENTAGE OFDAYS OVER AIRQUALITY STANDARDS FOR FINEPARTICULATE MATTER

135 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-35. PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS WITH ASTHMA

136 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan and transformation ofGary’s neighborhoods. strategies will be fundamental to the long-term stabilization funding. Implementinginnovative andcommunity-led safety help collectively address publicsafety concerns and pursue to advocates community with collaborate to and responders fire, first police, Gary for need the and training safety public In particular, the community proposed a greater focus on to negative perceptions, anddetract from qualityoflife. blight, anddeteriorating infrastructure conditions contribute ability to attract growth andinvestment. Vacant property, City’s the and businesses, residents, impacting itself, crime as The perception ofcrimeisjust asmuchofanissue for Gary 2007. since cases reported in decrease significant a haveseen been consistently dropping. Property crimeandviolent concern, even thoughviolentcrimerates intheCityhave In conversations residents, withGary publicsafety isaprimary impacts ontheneighborhoodandcommunity. implications for victimsandtheirfamilies, resulting innegative and perceived crime can have health, social, and behavioral impact individualhealth,businesses, andsocialcohesion. Real youth andfamily activities.The perception ofcrimecanalso underemployment, thepresence ofgangs,racism, andlackof A variety offactors canimpactcommunity safety, including CRIME ANDSAFETY Photo Caption Placeholder photo Placeholder photo

137 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW FIGURE 5-36. TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES REPORTED AND CLEARED (2007-2017)

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, Gary Police Department Reported Property Crimes (2007-2017).

138 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan Source: FBICrimeData Explorer, GaryPoliceDepartmentReportedProperty Crimes(2007-2017). FIGURE 5-37. TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMESREPORTED ANDCLEARED(2007-2017)

139 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW rental for local residents and emerging businesses, a culinary FOOD ACCESS business incubation program (CBI), rental space for events and meetings, a pop up café shaped by CBI participants and Healthy communities provide access to affordable and healthy gallery/exhibition space. The ArtHouse project was funded by food at grocery stores, produce markets, community gardens, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Knight Foundation, based on a and farmers’ markets. Residents of communities with access conceptual design from world-renowned Chicago-based artist to a full-service grocery store tend to eat more fruits and Theaster Gates. vegetables, have lower body weights, and lower rates of chronic diseases. Local food production can also reduce the distance The ArtHouse collaboration with Theaster Gates in 2015 sparked food is shipped, lowering the environmental footprint of food an interest in public art in Downtown Gary. Over the last several production and distribution. years, several artists and community groups have painted, performed, or installed artwork in the Downtown neighborhood. “Food access” is based on physical access to a food store In the summer of 2018, #PAINTGARY transformed vacant lots (e.g., supermarket, large grocery store, etc.). While various and wall surfaces of primarily abandoned buildings along the food stores exist in Gary, food access is limited across the city. Broadway corridor into a series of creative sculptures and Much of Gary, including the entire western side of the city, is murals. Decay Devils, a community group focused on historic considered a food desert with limited access to retail food preservation and urban exploration, have turned the historic outlets, and every census tract in the city except one either has Union Station, previously abandoned, into a vibrant public low, poor, or no access to healthy retailers. Food deserts are space, and are expanding their placemaking and community areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole building efforts further Downtown through collaborations with grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a full and the Legacy Foundation, Knight Foundation, and Gary Public healthy diet as shown in Figure 5-38. Transit Corporation.

Historic resources also play an important role in the community. As mentioned in the Built Environment section, Gary has two ARTS AND CULTURE historic districts and eight properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, however many historic properties Arts and culture are key elements of a community’s quality have suffered from decades of neglect and fallen into disrepair. of life and contributors to the local economy. The city boasts The City is exploring creative means to preserve architecturally galleries, the Miller Beach Arts & Creative District, and theatres and culturally significant buildings that still remain, such as the such as the Theatre Northwest. These districts and facilities City Methodist Church and the former Gary Post Office. The help create strong neighborhoods while creating local jobs. Gary Preservation Tour, started in 2017, is an annual event that highlights Gary’s architecturally significant sites. The tour has ArtHouse, a unique destination for food, culture, and art, helped to generate interest in historic and cultural preservation. opened in the Downtown neighborhood in 2017, and is focused on creating a space that positively reflects the City of Gary and See the Built Environment section for more information provides a platform for economic and artistic activity in the on historic preservation efforts. Downtown area. It provides access to a commercial kitchen

140 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 5-38. FOOD DESERTS

141 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Total population levels within the city seem to be stabilizing around 75,000-80,000 residents. The city has above average youth and senior populations. • Of the total households in Gary with children under 18, approximately 6,000 or 57 percent are headed by single parents, making access to childcare and after school programs a high priority. • The city has a low rate of educational attainment, which significantly impacts wealth and income. Lower incomes are linked to disparities in health outcomes. • High concentrations of heavy manufacturing uses combined with heavy traffic on I-90, I-80, I-94, and I-65 contribute to poor air quality days, which can result in respiratory illness, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer. • Property crime and violent crime have seen a significant decrease in reported cases since 2007. The perception of crime is just as much of an issue for Gary as crime itself, impacting residents, businesses, and the city’s ability to attract growth and investment. Vacant property, blight, and deteriorating infrastructure conditions contribute to negative perceptions, and detract from quality of life. • Much of Gary, including the entire western side of the city, is considered a food desert with limited access to retail food outlets, and every census tract in the city except one either has low, poor, or no access to healthy retailers. • The City’s arts and cultural events (e.g., #PAINTGARY and Gary Preservation Tour) and facilities (e.g. ArtHouse) help create strong neighborhoods while creating local jobs.

142 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan decision-making asitrelates to Gary’s socialcontext. The following isalist ofkey indicators that willbeusedgoingforward to understand trends, evaluate progress, andguidefuture KEY INDICATORS KEY PRIORITIES education andwealth residents. ofGary What makes uniqueandspecialisitsresidents. Gary The Citymust continue working to stabilize thepopulation andbuildthe HEADED? GARY’S SOCIALCONTEXT: WHEREAREWE 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. • • •

Property Crime Rate-This measure tracks thefrequency ofproperty crimes,akey indicator ofquality oflife. indicator ofpotential andfuture earning potential. High School Graduation Rate – This measure tracks the rate students at which Gary graduate from high school,a good growing. Population –This measure shows how thecityischangingover timeandwhethertheoverall population isstabilizing and/or investment inthecity’s creative economy. Maintain ArtsandCultureMomentum. andresidential industries and logistics manufacturing neighborhoods. heavy city’s the between conflicts minimizing by outcomes health Use LandPolicyandZoningtoImproveCommunityHealth. led efforts, theCitycanimprove education andemployment outcomes for residents. opportunities for thecommunity. Through partnerships,strategic andcoordinated investments, creative landuse, andcitizen- childcare iscriticalto retain andattract new residents to thecityandadvance workforce preparedness andemployment Increase EducationalOpportunityandJobTraining supporting talent,andcreating opportunitiesthat buildonGary’s existing community withoutdisplacing it. Build GenerationalWealth. a talented community, boundless opportunities,andmomentum,akey recipe to encourage andfoster population growth. growingA Grow Gary’sPopulation. reflects healthy economy,city a vibrant community, life. has of city quality The high and The Citywillfoster wealth building from within,through education, knowledge exchanges, The arts and culture ecosystem is flourishing in Gary. Leverage outside interest and interest Gary. Leverage outside in flourishing ecosystemis culture and arts The . Improving access to qualitypubliceducation, training, andaffordable Land usepolicy andzoning shouldbeusedto create better

143 5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW Placeholder photo

144 City of Gary COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Gary. This chapter includesthefollowing three framework plans: land uses,neighborhoodplans,andtransportation/infrastructure prioritiesfor futurefuture.identifies infrastructure, facilitiesintothe It City and land, public use decisionmakingandinvestment, aswell ascitywide decisionmakingfor This chapter describes thephysical planningframeworks that willguideland neighborhoods, andimprove overall qualityoflife inGary. align citysystems, provide openspace, enhance sustainability, strengthen and infrastructure strategies that willhelpstimulate economic growth, These three plans provide integrated and coordinated landuse, transportation, • • •

Green Infrastructure Plan Transportation Plan Land UsePlan frameworks planning chapter 6 chapter

145 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS LAND USE PLAN

Land use serves as the guide for development in Gary over There are five broad categories of land use: 1) residential, 2) the next 20 to 30 years. The land use plan tells the story of commercial, 3) employment, 4) open space, and 5) public/ how Gary may change in the future. Building on the citywide institutional. Residential designations range from single-family imperatives outlined previously, it provides a framework for: homes to multi-family apartments. Commercial designations provide locations for retail, office, and service uses. Employment • Creating consolidated and stable residential neighborhoods designations describe locations for industrial, manufacturing, • Concentrating retail and services at key nodes of activity and other large employers. Open space designations identify natural areas such as conservation lands and City parks. Public/ • Strengthening and expanding employment areas institutional designations include a range of public facilities • Protecting and enhancing Gary’s open space, natural such as schools, parks, and government buildings. beauty, and recreational assets

Topics covered in this chapter include land use designations, Residential Land Use Designations more detailed individual neighborhood plans, and priority areas Residential for revitalization and investment. LAND USE DESIGNATIONS

Land use designations indicate the intended use of each parcel of land in the city. They provide a vision of the city’s future Placeholder image development but largely remain adaptable to account for changes in economic conditions and community priorities. The Gary Comprehensive Plan includes 20 land use designations, described below and mapped in Figure 6-1 Land Use Plan.

While Comprehensive Plan land use designations are broad, they will guide how zoning regulations are developed. Zoning districts include specific allowances and prohibitions of uses (including conditional uses), and dimensional requirements such as building setbacks, parking standards, and building heights. Land use designations and zoning districts must be This designation provides for the preservation and maintenance compatible but need not be exactly the same. of traditional neighborhoods containing a mix of single-family and multi-family housing. This designation covers the majority of historically stable residential areas in the city where population

146 City of Gary ComprehensiveCOMPREHENSIVE Plan PLAN productive landscapes (e.g. community gardens), andblue/ exist alongside community-maintained recreational spaces, reuse of vacant land. In many cases, residential dwellings will the encourage to flexibility of levels higher for allow also will dwellings withless restrictions onhousingdevelopment but areas willcontinue to includeamixofsingle-andmulti-family with highrates ofvacancy anddisinvestment. These residential This designation applies to distressed residential neighborhoods Flexible Residential of low- to medium-density neighborhoods. to becompatible with and oriented toward serving the needs centers, publicfacilities, andotheruseswhichare determined guest houses,churches, schools,day care centers, community apartments. This designation alsoallows secondary units, of multi-family housing typesfrom townhomes to multi-family include large andsmall-lotsingle-family dwellings andarange and housingvalues are relatively constant. Primarylanduses Placeholder image to serve another purposefor Gary’s future. residential neighborhoodsandwillinstead transition over time These areas willnolongerbemaintainedastraditional neighborhoods where population loss ispast atippingpoint. This designation applies to severely distressed residential Transition to Employment could ultimately transition to anotherlanduseover time. green infrastructure suchasstormwater parks. These areas Placeholder image

147 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS Commercial Land Use Designations It supports buildings with different uses such as office, retail, services, dining, residential, and public or other compatible Downtown uses. It supports the organization of services, amenities, and housing choices in direct relationship to anchor neighborhoods or institutions, or in areas of increased activity. Buildings in this designation are encouraged to face the primary roadway and be designed to create an attractive, safe pedestrian environment.

Placeholder image Neighborhood Commercial and Services

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This designation applies to the core areas of Downtown Gary, centered around 5th Avenue and Broadway. It supports continued reinvestment and intensification of the Downtown core by accommodating multi-story, mixed-use buildings at higher intensities, including both vertical and horizontal mixed- use development, Class A office space, and walkable retail and services that will attract residents, workers, and visitors. This designation supports consolidation of and investment Active ground floor uses are encouraged to create a pleasant in neighborhood-serving commercial and service uses at key pedestrian environment. Parks/plazas/open space, education, nodes along the City’s main commercial or neighborhood cultural, public assembly, and other civic/public uses are also thoroughfares. Land uses in this designation generally serve allowed. local areas and allow for a variety of retail, services, professional and business offices, dining, arts, public/institutional, and Neighborhood Mixed-Use Corridor other supportive uses in low-rise buildings. This designation encourages smaller development aimed at creating an attractive This designation supports walkable mixed-use development and pedestrian-oriented retail frontage with buildings and th along key corridors in the city such as Broadway and 5 Avenue. entrances adjacent to the sidewalk.

148 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan transition to anotherrole over time. areas allow for abroad mixofusesandcould ultimately viable around investment targeted activity centers, transit stops, and commercial nodes. These and flexibility of levels high rates ofvacancy anddisinvestment. Itallows for higher This designation appliesto distressed commercial areas with Flexible Commercial Placeholder image Transit-Oriented Development dining, thearts, andothersupportive uses. uses suchashotels, casinos,sportscomplexes, retail, services, visitors. It supports awidevariety ofentertainment-related entertainment usesthat willattract bothresidents andregional This designation appliesto areas ofthecitytargeted for Entertainment District modal travel. vibrant pedestrian environment, andissupportive of multi- site designthat enhances accessibility to stations, creates a and integrated institutional, mixoflanduses that supporttransit usethrough recreational, other supportive residential, uses.Development inthis designation isan office, service, the train station. It allows for a wide variety of commercial, intensity, mixed-use development withinwalking distance of Miller, Downtown, andClarkRoad transit stations withhigher- This designation supportsatransit-oriented district around the Placeholder image Placeholder image

149 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS Highway Commercial Employment Land Use Designations Light Industrial/Employment Flex

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This designation applies to auto-oriented corridors that capitalize on the high volume of automobile traffic along adjacent Interstate highways such as I-80/94. It allows for This designation provides area for a range of employment auto-oriented retail and service uses that serve a broader uses to expand and diversify the city’s economic base. It regional market including gasoline service stations, food and supports a wide variety of employment-generating activities, beverage sales, eating and drinking establishments, and hotels including office, light industrial and manufacturing, research and motels. This designation applies to land around selected and development, transportation and logistics, and technology interchanges and is limited in area. parks. Other supporting uses such as restaurants, medical services, community facilities, and similar uses which together create concentrations of employment or community activity are also allowed.

150 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan and commercial uses and minimize traffic, noise, and other and noise, impacts. traffic, minimize and uses commercial and appropriate transition areas andbuffers from otherresidential Indiana Toll Road. Heavy industrial usesare required to provide Cline Avenue andsteel production facilities northofthe and storage. This designation mainly applies to areas along impact industrial activity, suchasmanufacturing, wholesaling, This designation accommodates areas ofhigh-intensity, high- Heavy Industrial Placeholder image other impacts. residential and commercial uses and minimize traffic, noise, and provide appropriate transition areas and buffers from other logistics, and storage. Development inthisdesignation isrequired as to warehousing, such yards, and uses rail traffic-generating Port, other Gary the It includes Harbor. Buffington shipping, logistics, and intermodal port development in This designation encourages growth around heavy industry, Intermodal/Logistics industrial, andrecreational usesat oraround theairport. airport. It also includes flexible siting of supportive commercial, Airport andsupportsthecontinued useandexpansion ofthe This designation appliesto theGary/Chicago International Airport Placeholder image

151 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS Open Space Land Use Designations Managed Conservation Lands City Parks

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This designation applies to the city’s neighborhood, This designation includes conservation land that provides for community, and regional parks that provide open space and ecological preservation, public open space, recreation, and recreational benefits to surrounding neighborhoods. Parks are stormwater management. It includes sensitive habitats and typically managed by the City of Gary Department of Parks actively managed conservation lands such as Indiana Dunes and Recreation. It also includes other public recreational uses National Park. such as indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, amphitheaters, beaches, and community centers .

152 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan schools, colleges, anduniversities. This designation applies to publicandprivate schools,trade Schools andUniversities uses suchasrestaurants, housing,andretail/services. government buildings.Italso allows for avariety ofsupport and libraries, stations, police stations, fire hospitals, including This designation reserves areas for publicandinstitutional uses, Public Designations Public/Institutional LandUse and development opportunity. other purposesinthefuture, consistent withmarket demand costs for theCity. Larger landscapeareas may bereused for for localwildlife, anddecrease maintenance andoperational functions to capture stormwater, cleantheair, provide habitat green infrastructure. These landscapeareas serve important landscapes, urban forests, and stormwater management/ for productive usessuchasfood orenergy production, natural is vacant andunused.Itencourages thereuse ofvacant land significantly eroded to the point where the vast majority of land areas, andareas inwhichtheexisting residential fabric hasbeen This designation appliesto existing undeveloped land,open Landscape Reserve

153 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS FIGURE 6-1. LAND USE PLAN

154 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan overall objectives for eachneighborhood. imperatives presented previously andwillhelpachieve the over time. These projects orstrategies supportthecitywide neighborhoods, andthesewillcontinue to beimplemented projects are already underway to stabilize andtransform neighborhood. Inmany instances, existing initiatives and unique challengesandleverage inherent strengths ofeach and community members. Itincludesstrategies to address for each neighborhood in Gary, as expressed by residents This sectiondescribes thecurrent conditions andfuture vision between. dilapidated structures. Many neighborhoodsliesomewhere in are indire condition, withhighvacancy rates andnumerous with accessible amenities andwell-maintained homes.Others in limited services andresources. Someare ingoodshape, are challengedby population loss anddisinvestment, resulting unique character and conditions. Many of Gary’s neighborhoods The contains cityofGary 12neighborhoods,eachwithits own GARY NEIGHBORHOODS

155 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS BRUNSWICK AND WEST SIDE and land use regulations need to be flexible to account for Overview and Existing Conditions decreasing housing demand. • Stable Neighborhoods. The City will continue to target services Most of Brunswick and West Side consist of single-family and public investments in stable West Side residential homes. High vacancy rates are found on the western edge of areas, particularly around active schools and other key the neighborhood’s residential areas near Colfax and Hobart neighborhood anchors like West Side High School and Streets and southwest of 15th Avenue and Clark Road. Three of Brunswick Park. the schools which once served as community anchors are now • Contiguous Landscape Reserve. Existing open spaces between inactive and vacant. West Side features residential pockets, the railroad tracks and Burr Street will continue as particularly around 11th Avenue and Burr Street, that are in more unmanaged landscape reserve to provide natural buffers stable condition, with lower vacancy rates, better property and leverage Gary’s natural beauty. conditions, and two active schools nearby. • Expanded Employment Uses. Industrial uses will be maintained Most commercial uses are located along 5th Avenue, but there and expanded along Cline Avenue and around the Budd are significant stretches of vacant and deteriorated storefronts. Plant, including potential redevelopment of the Tri-City The Tri-City Plaza Shopping Center was once the major Plaza Shopping Center and former Ivanhoe housing site commercial anchor for the neighborhood, but most of the for employment-generating activities. shops are now vacant. • Reorientation Toward the Grand Calumet River. The Calumet River is a great resource. Blight elimination and investment will Located between contaminated sites and heavy industrial uses continue to occur to re-orient Brunswick toward the river along Cline Avenue and the Budd Plant at Chase Street and regardless of future land use as open space, employment, 5th Avenue, Brunswick, in particular, is somewhat isolated from or housing. other residential neighborhoods and the rest of the city. Large swaths of managed conservation land and unmanaged open space provide a buffer between Cline Avenue industrial uses and the residential areas east of Colfax Street.

Key Strategies

• Flexible Residential Areas. Brunswick residential areas (between 1-90, Colfax Street, the railroad tracks, and Clark Road) are maintained as residential areas but allow for greater flexibility with open space and potential for other uses. While many blocks are stable, others are in transition

156 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-2. BRUNSWICK AND WEST SIDE

157 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS BLACK OAK

Overview and Existing Conditions Key Strategies

Much of the Black Oak neighborhood consists of open space • Flexible Residential Areas. Black Oak residential areas north in the floodplain around the Little Calumet River. Some of this of I-94 and around the Ridge Plaza Shopping Center are land is actively managed conservation land directly adjacent maintained as residential but allow for greater flexibility to the river, and includes sections of the Gary Green Link trail. with open space and potential for other uses. While many Sparsely populated single-family residential areas can be found blocks are stable, others are in transition and land use just north and south of I-94 between Cline Avenue and Burr regulations need to be flexible to account for decreasing Street. The neighborhood north of I-94 between the railroad housing demand. tracks and Burr Street has particularly high vacancy rates and • Key Retail Nodes. The City will encourage consolidation of a high percentage of homes in poor or dangerous condition. commercial uses and provide targeted investments at key Mobile home parks and low-density residential pockets are retail nodes such as the Ridge Plaza Shopping Center and scattered amidst light industrial and auto-related uses along W along Ridge Road. The largely vacant Village Shopping Ridge Road between Colfax Street and Grant Street. Center presents an opportunity for redevelopment with employment or community uses. Black Oak is relatively isolated from other areas of the city, with few, if any neighborhood anchors or amenities. While open space • Contiguous Landscape Reserve. Existing open spaces around is prevalent, there is only one City park in the neighborhood at the Little Calumet River will continue as unmanaged 25th and W. Bell Street, though Lake Etta (a County park) is landscape reserve. nearby. There is also one school in the neighborhood – Steel • Expanded Employment Uses. Industrial and employment- City Charter Academy – which is surrounded by light industrial generating uses will be maintained and expanded along uses and lacks safe pedestrian and bike access for students. Cline Avenue, on either side of I-94, along Grant Street, and along Ridge Road. Key commercial areas in Black Oak include truck stops and • Entertainment District. A new entertainment district to the auto-related commercial uses around the I-94/Burr Street southwest of the I-94/Burr Street interchange will feature interchange, the Ridge Plaza Shopping Center at Colfax Street a mix of entertainment-related uses that will attract both and Ridge Road, and the Village Shopping Center on Grant residents and visitors to the city, taking advantage of the Street. recently announced Hard Rock Casino, with its potential for significant additional development and new amenities. • Gary Green Link. The City will continue to implement the Gary Green Link Plan, including planned trail improvements and extensions along the Little Calumet River.

158 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-3. BLACK OAK

159 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS TOLLESTON AND SMALL FARMS

Overview and Existing Conditions Key Strategies

Tolleston and Small Farms are predominately single- • Flexible Residential Areas. Several small residential pockets, family residential neighborhoods in stable condition. These including those just north of the former MC Bennet neighborhoods have higher occupancy rates and a relatively Community Park and both north and south of 11th Avenue strong housing market compared to other areas of the city. between Chase and Grant Streets, are maintained as Nearby community anchors and amenities include two actively residential but allow for more open space, productive managed City parks (Patcher and Tolleston parks), the Boys and landscapes, and green/blue infrastructure. These areas are Girls Club on 19th Avenue, and several active schools including at a tipping point and may transition to other uses over Frankie McCullough Girls Academy and Beveridge Elementary. time. Blight elimination and public investment should focus on stabilizing these areas to complement stronger housing Several neighborhood-oriented commercial corridors run demand and better serve neighboring blocks. through the area, including 11th Avenue, 15th Avenue, and Grant • Stable Neighborhoods. The City will continue to provide Street. 11th Avenue was historically a strong retail corridor, but services and target investments in stable residential areas, most blocks now contain a high level of vacant storefronts, particularly around active schools and parks, and other key vacant lots, or non-commercial uses, including churches and neighborhood anchors like the Boys and Girls Club and residential buildings. 15th Avenue and Grant Street are in similar Tolleston Park. condition, although new retail development continues at County Market Plaza at Grant Street and 25th Avenue. A limited • Contiguous Landscape Reserve. Existing open space in the area th amount of auto-related commercial and light industrial uses around 19 Avenue and Whitcomb Street will continue can be found along the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks to the as unmanaged landscape reserve space to highlight the north. neighborhood’s natural beauty, but serve as a placeholder for potential future development. Several large undeveloped open spaces are located along the • Expanded Employment Uses. Industrial uses will be maintained southern boundary of Small Farms, around 25th Avenue. These and expanded along the Norfolk Southern railroad and include the former MC Bennett Community Park, which is no south of 25th Avenue, where demand continues to grow in longer actively managed by the City, and Lake Sandy Jo, a numerous commercial and industrial employment sectors. contaminated former landfill site. • Key Retail Nodes. The City will encourage consolidation of neighborhood retail and services at key nodes along 11th Avenue, 15th Avenue, and Grant Street and provide targeted investments at key retail centers such as County Market Plaza.

160 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-4. TOLLESTON AND SMALL FARMS

161 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS AMBRIDGE MANN AND HORACE MANN including a grocery store. Additionally, heavy traffic, including truck traffic, and perceptions of speeding affect properties Overview and Existing Conditions on 4th and 5th Avenues and create an unpleasant pedestrian environment, coupled with a lack of consistent green space and Ambridge and Horace Mann contain a mix of older, traditional landscaping. single-family homes and multi-family residential buildings mainly along 5th Avenue and in the Westbrook area just southwest of the railroad tracks. These neighborhoods are Key Strategies generally stable and in good condition and feature striking • . Residential areas between Ambridge historic architecture. Higher vacancy rates and housing in Flexible Residential Areas Elementary and the river and between 5th Avenue, 3rd poor condition are limited to a few isolated pockets: north of Avenue, Buchanan and Madison Streets are maintained 5th Avenue between Buchanan and Madison Streets, the area as residential but allow for more open space, productive just east of Ambridge Mann Park, north of 3rd Avenue between landscapes, and green/blue infrastructure. These areas are Chase and Rutledge Streets, and south of 8th Avenue between at a tipping point and may transition to other uses over Tyler and Madison Streets. time. Blight elimination and public investment should focus on stabilizing these areas to complement stronger housing There are several key community and institutional anchors demand and better serve neighboring blocks. in the neighborhood including five active City parks, the Gary Methodist Hospital campus, and various public service • Residential Transition Areas. Residential areas between 3rd buildings such as the Gary Police Department and Gary Avenue, 5th Avenue, Madison, and Buchanan Streets and Health Department. While there is one active school in the south of 8th Avenue are past a tipping point for residential neighborhood, most of the former neighborhood schools are demand and no longer adhere to historical development now vacant and in disrepair, including Ambridge Elementary, patterns. These areas should focus on new opportunities Jefferson Elementary, and Horace Mann High School, which sits for employment and infrastructure and blight elimination directly adjacent to the hospital. should be re-oriented to account for a change in land use in the future. th 5 Avenue is the main commercial corridor running through • Stable Neighborhoods. The City will continue to provide the neighborhood. Retail and service uses are scattered along services and targeted investments in stable residential the corridor amidst multi-family residential and non-residential areas, particularly around active schools and parks, and uses such as churches and public facilities. Commercial uses other key neighborhood anchors. The City will work with are generally clustered on the eastern side near Downtown the school district to repurpose or redevelop inactive th and around the 5 Avenue and Bridge Street intersection. Most school sites. commercial and retail buildings are in poor physical condition or completely abandoned for large stretches along 5th Avenue. In general, the neighborhood lacks convenient retail amenities,

162 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan • • • • •

Street intersections. consolidated andclustered around theGrant andBuchanan services and retail neighborhood with uses of mix flexible extensions alongtheGrand CalumetRiver. Green LinkPlan,includingplannedtrail improvements and Green Link. Gary entrance to ourcity, andcontinuing theGreen Linktrail. access to the riverfront, beautifying the Buchanan Street landscape reserve, expanding openspace andrecreational along theGrand CalumetRiver willtransition to unmanaged Contiguous High-vacancy Landscape Reserve. residential areas Reconfiguration of4 5 office, workforce housing,and community facilities). expand healthcare, institutional, and supportive uses (e.g. Hospital willbetargeted for reuse orredevelopment to school sites andothervacant properties around Methodist Expanded HealthcareUses. andInstitutional Large inactive and streetscape enhancements. Truck traffic will be will traffic Truck rerouted along 4 enhancements. streetscape and converted to atwo-way complete street, withpedestrian th Avenue Flexible Mixed-Use Corridor. The Citywillcontinue to implementtheGary th Avenue. th and5 th Avenues. 5 5 th Avenue willcontain a th Avenue willbe

163 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS FIGURE 6-5. AMBRIDGE MANN AND HORACE MANN

164 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan oae js suh f -0 t h ai o to important two of 5 axis and the Broadway at – I-90 thoroughfares of south just Located structures alsodrive Downtown traffic. and theArtHouseSocialKitchen. artandhistoric Public the GenesisConvention Center, theRailcats baseball stadium, facilities along Broadway. Additional activity generators include the Lake County SuperiorCourt, andvarious publicservice feature a number of important institutions, including City Hall, As thetraditional center oftheCity, Downtown andEmerson Overview andExisting Conditions DOWNTOWN ANDEMERSON 9 active shopping center strip is located on Broadway between lots and abandoned buildings that contribute to blight. An Broadway, althoughthesecorridors feature numerous vacant north of Downtown and I-90. Homes in Emerson are borderedare Emerson in Homes DowntownI-90. of and north uses ontwo sides.U.S. Steel Works Gary islocated directly Downtown andEmersonare generally surrounded by industrial neighborhood. omril ss r cnetae aog 5 along concentrated are uses Commercial and olderhousingstock inpoorcondition. suffers from vacant lots and blocks, numerous vacant buildings, homes located east ofBroadway inEmerson.Most ofEmerson of Broadway, most residential usesconsist ofsingle-family With theexception ofseveral multi-family developments west a Greyhound bushubintheAdam BenjaminMetro Center. bus service along Broadway from Downtown to Merrillville, and rapid with network,transit bus City’s the for point focal the as access to jobsandamenitiesinChicago. Downtown alsoserves parts of the City. The Metro Gary South Shore station provides Emerson iswell-connected to regional destinations andother th and10 th Avenue andprovides needed amenities for the th Avenue –Downtown/ th Avenue and Key Strategies and between Route 20(DunesHighway) andI-90. properties south ofthe railroad tracks, east ofAlabama Street, by undeveloped openspace andseveral large lightindustrial • • •

and tastes. around activity centers pursuant to neighborhood demand creative new possibilities like tiny housesorcooperatives build onstronger blocks, andzoning shouldprovide for that housing strategicforallowdevelopmentin-fill should should continue intheseareas. Potential new residential opportunities for employment, art,andurbanfarming to itshistorical development patterns Afocus onnew tipping pointfor residential demandandnolongeradhere Rhode IslandStreet andsouthof 8 Residential TransitionAreas. better serve neighboringDowntown blocks. to complement stronger housingdemandto thewest and public investment shouldfocus onstabilizing theseareas transition to other uses over time. Blight elimination and infrastructure. These areas are at atippingpointandmay more openspace, productive landscapes,andgreen/blue Island Street are maintainedasresidential butallow for Flexible Residential Areas. Residential areas east ofRhode Gary MetroGary station. residents andcommuters willbeencouraged around the homes andavariety of everyday goodsandservices for density transit-oriented development (TOD) including serve residents andattract visitors to thecity. Higher- family residential, arts,andentertainment usesthat will with a mix of ground-floor retail, commercial, office, multi- public parcels willbetargeted for reuse orredevelopment Downtown Vacant District. properties andlarge inactive The majorityofEmerson, east of th Avenue, are past a

165 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS • Reconfiguration of th4 and 5th Avenues. 5th Avenue will be converted to a two-way complete street, with pedestrian and streetscape enhancements, to further foster Downtown amenities and pedestrian traffic. Truck traffic will be rerouted along 4th Avenue.

166 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-6. DOWNTOWN AND EMERSON

167 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS MIDTOWN Key Strategies • Flexible Residential Areas. Residential areas south of 25th Avenue Overview and Existing Conditions between Harrison and Jefferson Streets and generally north of 19th Avenue between Taft and Monroe Streets are Midtown features a mix of single-family and multi-family homes, maintained as residential, but land use regulations allow for including several Gary Housing Authority (GHA) developments. more open space, productive landscapes, and green/blue Generally, Midtown has suffered from disinvestment and high infrastructure. These areas are at a tipping point and may rates of vacancy. Blocks with higher concentrations of vacant transition to other uses over time. Blight elimination and lots and homes in poor condition are located northeast of public investment should focus on stabilizing these areas the railroad tracks between Pierce Street and Madison Street, to complement stronger housing demand in neighboring southwest of the railroad tracks between Broadway and Virginia blocks. Street, and in several pockets south of 25th Avenue. • Residential Transition Areas. The areas on either side of Broadway and south of 25th Avenue between Grant and Several active City parks, including Roosevelt, Norton, and Reed Harrison Street are past a tipping point for residential Park, are all located in Midtown. The neighborhood contains demand and no longer adhere to historical development two active schools as well as several inactive former school patterns. These areas should focus on new opportunities sites. Other community assets include numerous block clubs, for employment and infrastructure and blight elimination community gardens, and churches. should be re-oriented to account for a change in land use in the future. Commercial blocks are found on Broadway, Grant Street, 15th Street, 21st Avenue, and 25th Avenue. While all of these corridors • Stable Neighborhoods. The City will continue to provide contain numerous vacant lots and abandoned buildings, services and provide targeted investments in stable there are a few retail and service clusters including Broadway residential areas particularly around active schools and between 11th and 15th Avenues, Broadway and 25th Avenue, and parks, within walking distance to GPTC stops, and by other the County Market Plaza at 25th Avenue and Grant Street. key neighborhood anchors. • Broadway Flexible Mixed-Use Corridor. Broadway will allow a Midtown has several light industrial areas along the diagonal flexible mix of uses with neighborhood retail and services railroad corridor and the area near the intersection of Grant consolidated and clustered at key intersections such as 11th Street and 10th Avenue, including auto body repair and auto Avenue, 15th Avenue, 21st Avenue, and 25th Avenue. part recycling centers. Many have outdoor storage areas with • Green Corridor. Existing open space between the railroad equipment, materials, and vehicles that lack property screening tracks and 10th Avenue will be maintained as a contiguous and buffering from adjacent residential homes. green corridor and buffer from Broadway past Colfax Street to the west. Midtown has good access to regional locations via I-94, as well as both Downtown Gary and Merrillville via the GPTC • Landscape Reserve. High-vacancy residential areas south of th Metro Express, which has bus stops at regular intervals along 27 Avenue and areas in the Little Calumet floodplain will Broadway. transition to unmanaged landscape reserve to allow for a wide range of potential development in the future should market conditions support investment. 168 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-7.MIDTOWN

169 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS PULASKI

Overview and Existing Conditions: open space and green/blue infrastructure. Areas between Broadway, I-94, and the railroad tracks and east of MLK Most of Pulaski consists of single-family neighborhoods and Drive will transition over time to employment uses, natural open space to the southeast in the Little Calumet River complementing recent development along I-65 and 15th floodplain. Homes around Dunbar-Pulaski Middle School are in Avenue. fair to good condition with low vacancy rates. Areas between • Flexible Commercial Corridor. 21st Avenue will continue as a Virginia Street and the railroad tracks and east of MLK Drive, flexible mix of uses including single- and multi-family particularly Marshalltown, contain a number of residential residential, office, service, retail, and institutional uses. blocks with a high percentage of vacant properties and small, This corridor will provide a broad range of uses and could poorly maintained homes. The Pulaski neighborhood has ultimately transition to another role over time. several strong blocks scattered among areas of high vacancy and blighted property. • Expanded Employment Uses. Industrial uses will be maintained and expanded along 15th Avenue between Central Avenue Some neighborhood-oriented commercial uses are present and I-65. along 21st Avenue, such as small grocery/convenience stores, • Contiguous Landscape Reserve. Existing open spaces in take-out food, and gas stations. Several of the blocks along the Little Calumet River floodplain will continue as a the corridor now contain institutional uses, such as churches, combination of both managed conservation land and and multi-family buildings. Other community amenities and unmanaged landscape reserve. anchors include Dunbar-Pulaski Middle School and several small City parks. However, Drew Elementary on 21st Avenue is now closed and the adjacent GHA housing site is soon to be vacated as well, which will leave a large central portion of the neighborhood vacant and inactive.

The Midwest Center for Industry economic development area is located just northeast of Pulaski along 15th Avenue at I-65. This area has experienced steady development since 2010 and contains a mix of logistics and light industrial uses, as well several public uses, including a NIPSCO facility and a US Postal Service branch.

Key Strategies

• Flexible Residential Areas. Residential areas are maintained as residential, but land use regulations allow for more

170 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-8.PULASKI

171 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS UNIVERSITY PARK AND GLEN PARK: corridor, though the stretch just south of I-80/94 largely serves trucking and interstate traffic. Neighborhood retail along Overview and Existing Conditions Ridge Road and Cleveland Street serves Glen Park residents. Several strong commercial nodes exist along Broadway, though University Park and Glen Park consist of several fair- to blighted and long-vacant commercial buildings are scattered well-maintained residential neighborhoods, largely west of along the main thoroughfares. The most active retail sections Broadway, but challenged residential areas east of Broadway. of Broadway are around IUN, at Ridge Road, and south of 45th Most of the housing is single-family although there are some Avenue. The Village Shopping Center provides low-yield retail concentrations of multi-family housing including senior amenities and could be reinvigorated with new investment, or th housing, and some apartments along 35 Avenue along may be redeveloped entirely to serve a new purpose, leveraging Gleason Park and the Indiana University (IUN) campus. West the high-traffic Grant Street corridor and access to I-80/94. Glen Park and the areas just south of Gleason Park are strong Limited small-scale industrial properties are scattered along the and stable residential areas with a high level of well-maintained railroad and former rail right-of-way through the neighborhood. homes and historic architecture. The highest concentrations of Many of these properties are located adjacent to single-family vacant lots and blighted homes include the blocks around the homes and lack buffers and screening. now vacant Franklin Elementary School, the area between the railroad and former rail right-of-way that bisects the community, The northernmost portion of University Park consists of and the areas east of Georgia Street. The historic Morningside managed conservation land and open space including wetlands, neighborhood contains many architecturally significant homes forests, farmlands, and floodplain along the Little Calumet in the southwest side of Glen Park, but it lies adjacent to vacant River. This area provides wildlife habitat and recreational former Lew Wallace High School, creating a threat to this opportunities, including a multi-use trail as part of the Gary neighborhood’s property values. Green Link network.

University Park contains a number of strong institutions One of the primary assets of the University Park and Glen Park including Indiana University Northeast, Ivy Tech Community neighborhoods is its excellent access to other parts of the city College, and the Gary Career Center. Other key community and Northwest Indiana through regional connectors such as anchors include the large Gleason Park and golf course, Bailly I-80/94 and I-65. In addition, several bus routes run through Middle School, Glen Park Academy, and Pittman Square Park. the neighborhood, including bus rapid transit service along However, quite a few of the neighborhood schools are closed Broadway. and now lie vacant and in disrepair, creating large abandoned properties that threaten the quality of life of surrounding neighborhoods, absent action to repurpose or demolish the Key Strategies schools. • University Park East Plan. The City will continue to implement the recommendations in the University Park East Blueprint The Grant Street corridor is a highly trafficked commercial for Change, a community-led neighborhood revitalization

172 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan • • • •

increasing thetaxbase. Gleason Park, focusing onneighborhoodrevitalization and accommodate awideranges ofpotential re-uses for significant absent blight clearance andreinvestment. development Zoning should new precludes homes where housingdemandisminimalandsupplyofvacant high-vacancy neighborhoods in Glen Park’s southeast side Additional opportunity for employment may emerge in the LittleCalumetRiver andnorth of33 . ExistingContiguous openspaces Landscape Reserve around development opportunities, andgreen/blue infrastructure. in flexibility greater space, open more for residential areas are maintainedas residential butallow Flexible Residential Uses. 35 western partoftheneighborhoodalongGrant Street, generating useswillbemaintainedandexpanded inthe Expanded Employment Uses. Industrial andemployment- along Grant Street. retail nodessuchasaround IUN,West RidgeRoad, and commercial usesandprovide targeted investments at key Nodes.Key Retail vibrant andpedestrian-oriented environment. streetscape improvements alongBroadway willcreate a and recreational facilities. New retail development and institutional, research, office, retail, housing, infill new as and othervacant properties withsupportive usessuch University andredevelopment ofinactive schoolsites of education andtechnology-related usesaround the plan developed in2016. The Plancallsfor expansion until market demandemerges for redevelopment. areas east ofGeorgia Street willbeheldasnatural areas land andunmanaged landscape reserve. Highvacancy continue asacombination ofbothmanagedconservation th Avenue, andWest RidgeRoad west ofGrant Street. The Citywillencourage consolidation of The majorityofeast GlenPark rd /34 th Avenue will •

extensions alongtheLittleCalumetRiver. Green LinkPlan,includingplannedtrail improvements and Green Link. Gary The Citywillcontinue to implementtheGary

173 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS FIGURE 6-9. UNIVERSITY PARK AND GLEN PARK

174 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan of Aetna at the corner of I-90 and Route12/20,and manufacturingI-90 of corner the Aetnaat of Department ofTransportation facility islocated onthewest side on thefar western sideoftheneighborhood.Alarge Indiana Aetna andMillercontain several industrial properties, mostly during thesummermonths. the “MillerBeach”area that serves bothresidents andtourists node ofneighborhoodretail at Locust and Shelby Streets in small-scale shopsandrestaurants. Inaddition, there isasmall however, is alively neighborhood-oriented retail corridor with poorly maintainedauto-oriented establishments. Lake Street, no landscaping,ahodgepodgeofsignage, andgenerally Melton Road development isincoherent withlittleconnectivity, or underutilized. From Clay Street to OldHobartRoad, most of are active alongRoute 12/20 althoughmany parcels are inactive Street. Several restaurants andauto-oriented establishments Route 12(DunesHighway), Route 20(Melton Road), andLake The majorityofcommercial usesintheneighborhoodare along family housingwith moderate vacancy rates. at County LineRoad, contains amixofsingle-family and multi- neighborhood just northofRoute 20alongtheCityboundary Village subdivision,somewhat isolated from therest ofthe of vacant lotsandhomesinpoorcondition. The Woodlake Aetna, particularlywest ofAetna Street, have alarge number condition andoccupancy rates are high.However, pockets of family homes.Most homesintheneighborhoodare ingood Miller South Shore LineStation and consist of mainlysingle- The neighborhoods are centered around Route 12/20 andthe Clay Street, and Aetna make up the city’s East Lakefront district. Miller northofRoute 12,GlenRyan northofRoute 12just east of Overview andExisting Conditions RYAN AETNA, MILLER,ANDGLEN to southLake County and,ultimately, access Indianapolis downstate. providing highway north-side national major a is I-65 to regional destinations, includingtheChicagojobmarket. Miller SouthShore LineStation at Lake Street provides access Downtown to Gary thewest andPorter County to theeast. The transit connections. USRoute 12and20provide access to Aetna, GlenRyan, andMillerare well-served by highway and are now closedandvacant. AvenueMiller 6300 at grocery Ralph’s former the and School parks, butseveral key community anchorssuchasWirt High neighborhood still contains several active schoolsandsmall play structures, andahistoric pavilion andbathhouse. The Park landmark that includeslandscaped grounds, isaGary trails, large natural areas, andlakeshore access. Marquette Marquette Park. IndianaDunes National Park provides walking space assets, includingIndianaDunesNational Park and open and recreationalgreatest Gary’s of some contains Miller volume logistics operations. the country for shipping,warehousing, trucking,orotherhigh- in locations ideal most the of one creating I-65, and I-90, I-94, Street/Melton Road interchange ishighlyaccessible from I-80, I-65 can befound alongRoute 20east ofLake Street. The Ripley the off 12/20 Route of terminus. Light industrial and auto-related commercial north uses the to just lie properties exists just to the west of Glen Ryan, and several lightindustrial Key Strategies •

and industrial usesmoving outwards alongRoute 20. The distance of the train station, and lower density commercial higher density, mixed-use development withinwalking development around theMillerStation. The planpromotes and landusedesignguidance to facilitate transit-oriented the East Lakefront District Plan,whichincludeszoning Plan.East Lakefront The District Citywillcontinue to implement

175 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS FIGURE 6-10. AETNA, MILLER, AND GLEN RYAN

176 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan • • • • • •

extensions through Indiana DunesNational Park. Green LinkPlan,includingplannedtrail improvements and The Green Link. Citywillcontinue to Gary implementtheGary Station area andincreased National Park traffic. to continued development and buildoutoftheMiller may remain residential ashousingdemandincreases due These areas may transition to otherusesover time, but allow for more open space and green/blue infrastructure. Village residential areas are maintainedasresidential but Flexible Residential Areas. residential areas, andalongthethrivingretail corridors. services andprovide targeted investments instable Stable Neighborhoods. The Citywillcontinue to maintain District TOD area. will be consolidated alongRoute 20east ofthe Lakefront Consolidated Areas. Industrial Industrial and auto-related uses mobility. Melton Road to enhance accessible pedestrian andbicycle complete streets improvements alongLake Street and Complete Streets. operations. opportunities for site aggregation, and improved rail maintenance, enhanced reduced road of terms in benefits railroad, andrelocating MillerStation. This willprovide Route 20to thewest ofLake Street, realigning theexisting involves closingaportionofRoute 12redundant with Route 12Realignment. The Route 12Realignment project transportation. of all modes for circulation efficient and attractive, safe, Plan alsoprovides guidance to improve access andcreate The Citywillcontinue to implement Most blocksinAetna, andWoodlake compressed-1.pdf sites/2/2015/10/East_Lakefront_District. us/redevelopment/wp-content/uploads/ in 2016, canbefound at: https://garyin. The East Lakefront District Plan,adopted

177 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS BUFFINGTON HARBOR AND table in this area. The airport is currently in the process of updating its Master Plan, which is expected late 2019. INDUSTRIAL AREAS This area of the City also contains several large natural areas, including permanently protected conservation land and Overview and Existing Conditions unprotected wetlands. The Clark and Pine Nature Preserve is The northwestern portion of the city between Lake Michigan located along N Clark Road and contains 300 acres of globally- and the I-90 toll road contains much of the city’s heavy industrial rare dune and swale landscape that is completely surrounded facilities. This area is home to Gary Works, which is US Steel’s by industrial uses and heavy infrastructure. Some of the natural largest manufacturing plant and one of the largest employers open space land directly adjacent to the Clark and Pine Nature in the city. To the west of Gary works are several steel supply Preserve will remain undeveloped as part of the Gary Green and processing companies, warehouse/distribution-related Link. Future development in this area will need to carefully companies, and Carmeuse Lime & Stone, a large lime mining balance industrial redevelopment and wetland preservation. operation. Just south of Gary Works is the Kirk Yard, a rail yard for the Canadian National (CN) Railroad serving the steel mill and greater Northwest Indiana and Chicago areas. Key Strategies • Gary Green Link. The City will continue to implement the In addition to its excellent highway and freight transportation Gary Green Link Plan, including conservation of high- access, this area contains two of Gary’s most important value natural areas and planned trail improvements and transportation assets – Buffington Harbor and the Gary/ extensions. Chicago International Airport. Buffington Harbor includes the Gary port/marina, two Majestic Star casino boats, and a hotel. • Buffington Harbor Redevelopment.The City plans to develop While casino operations currently dominate use of the harbor, Buffington Harbor into a larger-scale shipping port by recent State legislation will enable the casino to relocate, relocating casino operations and expanding transportation facilitating expansion of the port and surrounding properties and logistics uses around the port. for transportation and logistics. The Gary/Chicago Airport is • Gary/Chicago Airport Expansion. The City plans to expand the often billed as Chicago’s unofficial third airport and has robust airport to handle additional passenger and freight traffic, highway and rail access, including the Gary/Chicago Airport which would provide an economic boost to the City and South Shore Line station located just south of the airport on region. Opportunity exists for additional intermodal Clark Road. The airport has undergone extensive infrastructure transport, logistics, and business park development around improvements in recent years including an extension of the the airport and port to take advantage of the extensive rail, main runway in 2015, the construction of a new US Customers water, air, and roadway transportation network. and Border Control (CBP) facility in 2018, and various runway • Gary/Chicago Airport Station Improvements. The City will upgrade and apron rehabilitation projects. Vacant and underutilized and improve the Gary/Chicago Airport South Shore Line land around the airport provide opportunities for expansion, Station to transform it into a commuter hub for the airport, but redevelopment may be complicated due to environmental future business, and industry. constraints such as contaminated properties and a high water

178 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan • • •

State ofIndianaandnationwide. as oneofthemost dangerous at-grade crossings inthe identified been particular,has in crossing, Road Clark The properties. industrial egress and and toBuffington Harbor numerous grade-level railroad tracks that impede ingress traffic, Line Consolidation.Rail The area northoftheairporthas truck accommodate particularly oversize loads. better to improvements Drive, rehabilitation, andupgrades includingintersection Harbor Expansion Buffington of extension Drive planned includes project Harbor Buffington The improvement. facilities onthelakefront ischallengingandneedsmajor DriveBuffington Harbor Expansion.Access to industrial manage stormwater runoff. infrastructure improvements along Airport Road to Green Road Corridor.Airport The Citywillimplementgreen

179 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS FIGURE 6-11. BUFFINGTON HARBOR AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS

180 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 6-12. andcorrelatesthe CityofGary to themapfeat following list references key plans,programs, andprojects in the specified, otherwise Unless section. this aresummarizedin most relevant existing plansandanticipated improvements local andregional multi-modal transportation network. The that potential improvements integrate inGary withthelarger to understand theseexisting andplannedprojects to ensure planned orprogrammed throughout the city. Itisimportant transportation plansandanticipated network improvements (NICTD), operator oftheSouthShore Line, have avariety of and theNorthernIndianaCommuter Transportation District The andregional CityofGary agenciessuchasGPTC, INDOT, PROJECTS PLANNED ANDPROGRAMMED support Gary’s broader economic and sustainability goals. herein willcomplement existing andplanned development and transportation network andplannedimprovements described bicycle, andpedestrian facility improvements. The future include planned and programmed roadway, transit, rail, airport, of thefuture landuseitserves. Topics covered inthissection be consistent with andsensitive to thesurrounding context it beby car, transit, bicycle, orwalking. The system should also take to reach destinations andfor themodeoftravel, whether and visitors shouldhave multipleoptionsfor theroutes they improving multimodalmobilityfor residents. Gary residents Gary of transport efficient and facilities, existing of maintenance and use efficient goods, and safe the promoting coordinated, ensuring that transportation andlandusedecisionsare network. Key objectives ofthisComprehensive Planinclude This sectiondescribes theplannedcitywide transportation TRANSPORTATION PLAN ure onFigure engineering anddesign. reconfiguration, will be determined during Avenue5th and 4th the as such projects, Exact termini ofplannedtransportation

181 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS TABLE 6-1. PLANNED AND PROGRAMMED PROJECTS Map General Termini Type Description Status ID Location

1, 2 W 4th Avenue Bridge Street/ Complete streets Two-way street (truck route) on 4th Avenue Planned and 5th Avenue Buchan Street on 5th Avenue and two-way complete street (non-truck) on to split between and 3-lane truck 5th Avenue Downtown to enhance pedestrian Tennessee Street route on 4th safety around City Hall, the ballpark, and other and Virginia Avenue Downtown amenities. Streets 3 Grant Street W 8th Avenue to 4th Complete street Pedestrian-oriented improvements adjacent to Conceptual Avenue Methodist Hospital 4 Buchanan Toll Road entrance Green Greenway at the Buchanan Street entrance to Planned Street (I-90) to 8th infrastructure the Toll Road Avenue project, gateway beautification 5 Massachusetts W. 4 th Avenue to Bike lane Dedicated north-south bike route Conceptual Street 53rd Avenue 6 Broadway 4th Avenue to 53rd Complete street 2018 Broadway resurfacing studies show Programmed Avenue excess right-of-way that would allow potential complete street elements to enhance walkability and pedestrian safety 7 Lake Street/ 1/2 mile around Transit-Oriented Pedestrian and multi-modal improvements Programmed Miller Station station Development adjacent to station (SSL) (TOD) 8 Gary Metro/ 1/2 mile around Transit-Oriented Pedestrian and multi-modal improvements Conceptual Adam Benjamin station Development adjacent to station Station (SSL) (TOD) 9 Clark Road/ 1/2 mile around Transit-Oriented Pedestrian and multi-modal improvements Conceptual Gary-Chicago station Development adjacent to station Airport Station (TOD) (SSL) 10 Aetna Street Dunes Highway to Road diet Reduce travel lanes to enhance pedestrian Conceptual 15th Avenue safety and lessen burden on infrastructure 11 Clay Street 15th Avenue to 6th Complete streets Better, safer connectivity from Aetna and Glen Conceptual Avenue Ryan to Miller TOD 12 Lake Street US 20 to Lake Complete streets Better, safer connectivity from US 20 to Lake Programmed Street Beach (860 and stormwater Michigan amenities N. Lake Street) improvements

182 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan 18 19 24 23 22 21 20 17 16 15 14 13 ID Map 15 25 Crossing Lake Street RR Harbor Road Buffington Harrison Street Ridge Road 35 Location General 11 Realignment US 12/20 Avenue Hemlock Grand Blvd Miller Avenue th th th th Avenue Avenue Avenue Avenue Grant Street Clark Street to Cline Avenue Virginia Street to CSX RRTracks Lake Street and Buchanan Street Bridge termini to Buffington Harbor 80/94 Overpass Mississippi Street Broadway to Mississippi Street Grant Street to Street Broadway to Grant Termini Street road west ofLake to US12vianew 20 reconnecting of Clay Street, US US 12vacated east Street Grand Blvd to Lake Hemlock Avenue intersection to Miller Avenue intersection including Grand Blvd, Lake Street to Road diet Complete streets Improvements Safety Construction New Rehabilitation Rehabilitation Complete streets Road diet Type Road realignment Complete streets Complete streets improvements and intersection Complete streets safety andlessen burden oninfrastructure Reduce travel lanes to enhance pedestrian 15 Improvements to better, more safely connect including Purdue NW improvements; implementrecommendations Conduct feasibility study for safety and mobility serving Buffington Harborindustrial area Continued development ofindustrial grade road I-80/94 Restore north-southconnectivity across Complete connection alongregional arterial University Park Improve safety andconnectivity within safety andlessen burden oninfrastructure Reduce travel lanesto enhance pedestrian Description SSL improvements andassociated development Vacation ofparallel highway accommodates Lake Street, andtheMillerTOD street elementsconnecting Marquette Park, Connection inacontinuous loopofcomplete Lake Street, andtheMillerTOD street elementsconnecting Marquette Park, Connection inacontinuous loopofcomplete Lake Street, andtheMillerTOD street elementsconnecting Marquette Park, Connection inacontinuous loopofcomplete th Avenue corridor to amenitiesto thewest, Status Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual Planned Conceptual Planned Planned Conceptual Programmed Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual

183 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS Map General Termini Type Description Status ID Location

25 Old Hobart Rd Old Hobart Road Safety Conduct feasibility study for safety Conceptual RR Crossing and CSX RR Tracks Improvements improvements; implement recommendations 26 County Line County Line Road Safety Conduct feasibility study for safety and mobility Conceptual Road RR and NS RR Tracks Improvements improvements; implement recommendations Crossing 27 Grant Street Grant Street and Safety Conduct feasibility study for safety and mobility Conceptual and Ridge Ridge Road @ NS Improvements improvements; implement recommendations Road RR Tracks Crossing 28 Marquette Trail Grand Blvd to Multiuse trail Continue design and construction of trail Planned/ Ambridge Mann segments: Park and Bridge Programmed Street to Cline Ave Grand Blvd to Broadway (Union Station) Union Station to Ambridge Mann Park Bridge Street to Clark Rd Clark Rd to Cline Avenue 29 Green Link Trail Burr Street to EJE Multiuse trail Continue design and construction of trail Planned RR segments: County Line Road to CSX RR Burr Street to Colfax Street Colfax Street to CN RR 30 Gary Elevate 5th and Chase Multiuse trail Redevelop the abandoned, elevated train line Planned Street to Green through the Midtown neighborhood of Gary. Link Trail along/ The trail will connect key neighborhoods and south of Mason residents to other proposed trail extensions Street including the Marquette Trail and Gary Greenlink Trail.

184 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan FIGURE 6-12. PLANNED AND PROGRAMMED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS Planned/Programmed Projects Planned/Programmed Legend Complete Street Complete Lane Bike 312 « ¬ 912 « ¬ Buffington Harbor Roadway Improvement Roadway Rehabilitation Diet Road ) " 23 ) " 29 Green Link Trail Link Green Gary/Chicago International Airport

COLFAX ST

BURR ST HWY INDUSTRIAL Truck Route Realignment Road

CLARK RD Buchanan Street Buchanan ( ! 25TH AV 25TH ) " 26 Transit Oriented Development Transit Oriented Improvement Safety ) " 18 ) " 17 CHASE ST ¨¦ §

80 TAFT ST

Oak Savannah Trail Savannah Oak 19TH AV « ¬

55 35TH 35TH AV ) " 2 ) " 27 ) " ) " 3 #

GRANT ST 11TH AV Planned/Programmed Project ID Project Planned/Programmed ) " Planned/Proposed Bike Lane Bike Planned/Proposed Trail Planned/Proposed 4 ) "

30 21ST 21ST AV ) " 1 Gary ELevateTrailGary ¨¦ § ) " 90 ) " 19 22 US Steel ) " 20

8TH AV 37TH 37TH AV Downtown IUN ) " 27 « ¬ ) " 53

6 15TH AV ! ) " ) " 21 5

South Shore Line Shore South Station Shore South Railroad Inactive Railroad Active GEORGIA ST ¤ £

12 CENTRAL AV CENTRAL Existing Trail Existing Space Open and Parks Managed Limits Gary of City ¨¦ § ) " 28 65 Marquette TrailMarquette ) " 10 Lake Michigan Lake ) " 11 ) " 16 0 ) " 12 ,0 4,000 2,000 Id ) " 28 7GatS n ig dR rsigSafey Improvement ELevate Trail Gary 30 Trail Green Link 29 Trail Marquette 28 Crossing RR Rd and Ridge St Grant 27 Crossing RR Line Rd County 26 Crossing Old Hobart RR 25 Crossing RR St Lake 24 Buffington Harbor Rd 23 Harrison St 22 Rd Ridge 21 Ave 35th 20 Ave 25th 19 Ave 15th 18 Ave 11th 17 Realignment US 12/20 16 Ave Hemlock 15 Grand Blvd 14 Ave Miller 13 St Lake 12 St Clay 11 St Aetna 10 lr dGr hcg ipr tto SL rni retdDvlpetConceptual Conceptual Development Oriented Transit Development Oriented Transit (SSL) Station Airport Chicago Rd/Gary Clark 9 (SSL) Benjamin Station Metro/Adam Gary 8 (SSL) Station Street/Miller Lake 7 Broadway 6 Massachusetts St 5 St Buchanan 4 St Grant 3 Ave 5th W 2 Ave 4th W 1 ) " 24 ) " 15 ) " 13 ) " 14 Feet Marquette Park ¤ £ 20 ) " 25 Project Planned / Programmed Projects Programmed / Planned « ¬ 51 City of Gary of City Trail Trail Trail Planned ImprovementSafety ImprovementSafety ImprovementSafety Improvement Roadway Rehabilitation Rehabilitation Street Complete Diet Road Street Complete Diet Road Realignment Road Street Complete Street Complete Street Complete Street Complete Street Complete Diet Road rni retdDvlpetProgrammed Development Oriented Transit Street Complete Lane Bike Street Complete Street Complete Street Complete Route Truck Type ) " 26 ± Proposed Planned Planned Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual Planned Planned Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual Programmed Conceptual Conceptual Conceptual Programmed Conceptual Conceptual Programmed Conceptual Planned Conceptual Planned Planned Status

185 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

PLAN Additionally, the Plan includes Model Zoning and Permitting Guidelines, developed by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and In collaboration with the Delta Institute, Alliance for the Delta Institute, which establishes recommended codes and Great Lakes and many other local and regional partners, permitting processes for implementing green infrastructure on the City completed the Gary Green Infrastructure Plan in new construction and significant renovation projects. The Plan February 2019. The Green Infrastructure Plan (see Appendix concludes with a Financial Analysis that details the return of B) is informed by over two years of research, planning, and investment from citywide implementation of the Plan’s Priority engagement and provides a citywide framework for green Projects, as well as suggested Management, Funding, and infrastructure that is integrated with the broader land use Financing Strategies for implementing and maintaining green planning and redevelopment efforts described throughout infrastructure. the Comprehensive Plan. By creating a blueprint for planning, implementing, regulating, and managing green infrastructure, the Plan provides a comprehensive strategy that addresses the following objectives:

• Strengthening and expanding environmental assets and addressing environmental problems in the City. • Providing solutions for blight elimination and vacant land management. • Balancing environmental protection with positive and impactful redevelopment projects. • Improving public health and quality of life in Gary. Based on an existing conditions and property suitability analyses as well as existing and planned land uses and redevelopment projects, the team developed the Green Infrastructure Framework Map (see Figure 6-13) and Priority Project List which identify recommended green infrastructure strategies throughout the city. Some of these strategies include conservation corridors, stormwater parks, green buffer areas, wetland banks, rain gardens, bioswales, permeable paving, neighborhood pocket parks, urban agriculture, and green flex spaces.

186 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan infrastructure serves asacritical strategy for addressing itsstormwater problems. conventional gray infrastructure, retrofitting the city’s impervious surfaces with green more building to barriers financial the and precipitationchange,eventsclimate with severe in increase the problems, flooding Gary’s of scale the Givenstrips.”* median trees, rain gardens, vegetated swales, pocket wetlands, infiltration planters, vegetated or mimicnatural processes to manageandreuse stormwater, includinggreen roofs, Green stormwater infrastructure is defined as “planned systems and practices that use WHAT ISGREENINFRASTRUCTURE? LOCAL HAZARDMITIGATION Plan. hazard mitigation planning within the city and is incorporated by reference in the of thisplanshallserve astheimplementation program for thecoordination ofthe Mitigation Assistance (FMA),andSevere Repetitive Loss (SRL).The localadoption the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP),Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM),Flood approved MHMPisrequired inorder to applyfor and/or receive project grants under MHMP is a requirement of the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. A FEMA- was prepared andothercommunities inpartnershipwithGary inthecounty. The led by theLake County HomelandSecurity& Emergency ManagementAgency and adopted. The Lake County MHMP Update is a multi-jurisdictional planning effort In December 2018, the Lake County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) was

187 6.0 PLANNING FRAMEWORKS FIGURE 6-13. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN FRAMEWORK

188 City of Gary Comprehensive Plan