MARCH 2016 UNIVERSITY PARK EAST EXISTING CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT 2 UNIVERSITY PARK EAST EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 0 Executive Summary ......................................................5 1 Introduction ...............................................................9 2 City & Neighborhood Overview .....................................13 City of Gary ......................................................14 Glen Park & University Park ..................................16 University Park East ...........................................18 3 Circulation ...............................................................41 4 Public Utilities ...........................................................53 5 Community Facilities & Services ....................................59 Parks .............................................................60 Public Libraries .................................................63 Police/Fire .......................................................63 Services & Amenities ..........................................67 Education ........................................................69 6 Anchor Institutions .....................................................79 7 Employers ................................................................83 8 Health & Wellness .....................................................91 9 Previous Planning Efforts & Reports ................................97 Appendix: Neighborhood Resident Survey ..............................106 Appendix: Stakeholder Interviews .........................................123 MARCH 2016 3 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 0 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Gary, Legacy Foundation, and Gary Franklin school site, and Broadway. • With a declining population and Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) were In addition to these three areas, a significant vacancy, the City is challenged awarded a 2015 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative significant number of currently vacant and to deliver quality public services. Across (CNI) Planning Grant for the University Park-East underutilized parcels could be assembled all public services, residents rated them (UP-East) neighborhood. A program of the U.S. to support new development. very low, including trash pick-up and Department of Housing and Urban Development police/fire/EMS response. • Interest exists in moving to UP-East if the (HUD), the CNI program focuses on the creation of neighborhood is improved, and includes • Flooding is major concern in the northern community-driven, action-oriented comprehensive the development of new homeownership portion of the neighborhood due to a neighborhood revitalization plans for distressed and student housing. However, in high water table, combined sanitary and communities. addition to new housing, concurrent sewer system, and levees east and west of improvements are needed to support the City. This Existing Conditions Assessment is intended growth (e.g. public amenities, retail, to provide a baseline understanding of where the • Addressing vacant/abandoned homes is neighborhood perceptions). UP-East neighborhood is today with regard to the number one improvement cited by physical and social conditions. This analysis will neighborhood residents. inform the determination of priority areas that will be addressed in the “Blueprint for Change” for UP-East is well connected to the region, but has poor connectivity within the neighborhood the UP-East community. The rate of violent crime has dropped itself. The analysis in this report is based upon primary dramatically over the last year, but the and secondary sources of information, including • With good access to I-80/94 and I-65, and neighborhood is still perceived to be unsafe by on-the ground observations, stakeholder numerous public bus routes running along both residents and non-residents. interviews, and third-party collected data. or through the neighborhood, UP-East • Currently, the violent crime rate in the Additionally, a Neighborhood Resident Survey was is ideally located to get to other parts of neighborhood is half the City-wide rate conducted to collect current information about northwest Indiana. (4.6 v. 9.3). While residents generally do perceptions and needs in the community from • The quality of the transportation feel safe in the neighborhood during both residents that live in and outside of the UP- infrastructure within the neighborhood is the day, the need for better safety was East neighborhood. poor with many areas having deteriorated strongly voiced during community or non-existent sidewalks, no dedicated meetings. However, incidence of property A summary of key findings include: bicycle lanes or sharrows, and a lack of bus crime is on par, or slightly above the city signage and shelters. average. Some market potential does exist for the UP- East neighborhood. Much of the housing stock is in poor condition, • Improved safety was tied with more both occupied and unoccupied, affecting businesses as the top two improvements • There are three potential opportunity the public health of the residents and the needed for a non-resident to consider areas for new development – Colonial neighborhood. This is exacerbated by flooding moving to the neighborhood. Gardens 2 (across from Ivy Tech), vacant issues associated with the Little Calumet River. 6 UNIVERSITY PARK EAST EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT Access to health care is a challenge for many The majority of UP-East children under age 5 Out-of-school time programming for and UP-East residents. are enrolled in a center-based early learning participation among UP-East students is limited. • Rates of medical insurance coverage program. • While the Boys and Girls Club of among neighborhood residents are • With 21 childcare providers and over 400 Northwest Indiana and the City of Gary relatively low compared to the City and slots in and around UP-East, there appears Youth Services Bureau offer programming County. to be sufficient capacity to serve the elsewhere in the City, Ivy Tech offers the only known program in the neighborhood. • Nearly half of UP-East residents report remaining neighborhood children under that they go to one of the local hospitals age 5. • Only 59% of school-age youth are enrolled when in need of health advice rather than • While the quality of some local providers in a youth program. The most common a primary care doctor. could be improved, overall more than half are college preparation programs; sports/ recreation programs; tutoring programs; • Dental services and eye care are the top of the slots are offered by programs with and arts/music programs. More youth two unmet medical needs. high ratings. programs both within the neighborhood and in general were cited as top needs by UP-East students attend many different schools residents. Many UP-East residents suffer from poor throughout the city including public, charter, physical and mental health. and private institutions. While the unemployment rate is high, more households receive earnings from wages than • The rates of chronic disease among UP- • Based upon Census data, approximately the City average. East residents is very high, particularly 1 in 3 UP-East students attend a GCSC asthma, hypertension, and diabetes. School. Performance of the GCSC schools • Even though more households have wage Additionally, UP-East households suffer that UP-East students attend is mixed. earnings, the average median income is from depression or extreme stress/ The vast majority attend either an average low. This suggests that while people are anxiety at higher rates than the general or a low-performing school. working, they are working in low-wage population. jobs. • New Tech Innovative Institute at the Gary • Asthma rates are particularly high among Area Career Center is the only school • The low-wages may be reflective of the families and renters in the neighborhood located in the neighborhood, of which low educational attainment levels among indicating that this may be an issue among only 4% of neighborhood students attend residents. Over 25% do not have a high children and could be correlated with this school. The vast majority of the other school diploma or equivalent. poor rental housing conditions. neighborhood students appear to attend schools at least a mile or more away. MARCH 2016 7 INTRODUCTION 1 9 INTRODUCTION In January 2015, the City of Gary, Legacy and a review of the policies that shape daily life PROJECT LOCATION AND CONTEXT Foundation, and Gary Economic Development and physical conditions in the neighborhood. Corporation (GEDC) were awarded a Choice The City of Gary, Indiana, located in the Neighborhoods Initiatives (CNI) planning grant for The City of Gary and its partners will use this southeastern portion of the Chicago Metropolitan the development of a comprehensive revitalization baseline information to understand existing Area, is about 25 miles southeast of Chicago and plan for the University Park-East (UP-East) conditions and resources, articulate a realistic 150 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Gary is the neighborhood, including Colonial Gardens #1 and community vision, establish what is needed for 8th largest city in Indiana with a population of #2. Colonial Gardens #1 and #2 comprise 78-units positive change to occur, and shape their action 80,294. Situated along the southern coast of Lake of scattered-site public housing owned and plan. This baseline information will also be used Michigan, the 57-square-mile city was shaped by managed by the Gary Housing Authority (GHA) to