The city of Gary is one step closer to revitalizing its downtown and eliminating blight with a new grant through a statewide grant program.
City leadership on Tuesday announced that it secured a $15 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant through the Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative 2.0 program.
In a Tuesday news release, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said the city is grateful for the partnership and excited for what it’ll bring the city.
“The READI investment in the Gary Blight Elimination Initiative marks a turning point for our city,” Melton said in the Tuesday release. “This effort tackles long-standing challenges while opening the door to new opportunities for revitalization and economic growth. It reflects our shared regional commitment to not only strengthen Gary, but to build a safer, stronger and more vibrant Northwest Indiana.”
According to its website, READI was created by former Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2021 by allocating $500 million to 17 regions statewide. Projects must fall in three key areas: quality of life, quality of place and quality of opportunity.
Gary’s project falls under quality of place, and it’s expected to create 30 new full-time jobs with an average annual salary of $60,000.
The READI investment will help address blight in the core of Gary, according to the city, and it’s funding the City of Gary Blight Elimination and Reinvestment project.
The project is expected to start in October and end by Dec. 31, 2028. The READI portion will begin in January 2026.
In total, the project is expected to cost more than $64 million, according to the city, with about $49.5 million in matching funds from private, city, federal and other sources.
The blight and remediation plan will focus on three development areas: “going vertical,” remodel of the Hudson Campbell Sports and Fitness Center, and blight removal with “pedestrian infrastructure improvements connecting key downtown landmarks.”
The “going vertical” development will help drive public-private-partnership, according to the city, and leadership plan to turn the Hudson Campbell building into office space.
The city also plans to target the Holy Angels neighborhood surrounding Cathedral of the Holy Angels for site acquisition and demolition of abandoned structures. The work will also improve pedestrian infrastructure and create a “new outdoor environment” to connect the Railcats stadium to the Genesis Center.
“This strategic plan targets key development gaps, enhances city placemaking and aggressively tackles blight, all aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth and bringing renewed vibrancy to the city of Gary,” the news release said. “This project has completed preliminary master plans and involved community engagement during the comprehensive plan and downtown vision and action plan processes.”
Between his work as mayor and former state senator, Melton has been dedicated to blight elimination in Gary. As state senator, Melton created Senate Bill 434, which established the blighted property demolition fund and allows the city to receive $6 million from the state of Indiana for blight elimination. The city had to match those funds, with half coming from the American Rescue Plan Act funds and $3 million from the Hard Rock casino.
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com