The city of Gary is teaming up with the University of Notre Dame to create a new downtown master plan. Mayor Eddie Melton announced the partnership with the Notre Dame School of Architecture’s Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative during a press conference Tuesday.
The vision and action plan will include design standards for the Broadway corridor, design templates for workforce housing and commercial space and a concept design for a new transit facility. Melton says with the city's blight elimination efforts, the city wants to be intentional about what it decides to rebuild.
The process will include a series of community listening sessions, followed by a weeklong public urban planning session.
Gary Director of Redevelopment Chris Harris says the plan's goal is to attract new businesses and talent — building off of a walkable downtown, with easy access to transportation and the Indiana Dunes.
The Housing & Community Regeneration Initiative has worked with seven communities since 2021, including LaPorte, Kalamazoo and Elkhart. In a press release, the city says Melton's administration began talks with Notre Dame months before he took office in January.
