On Monday, April 13 2026, Gary Townmakers hosted a workshop to share tools, maps, and research tips to help investors avoid buying parcels with legal and environmental challenges that can prove costly.

For years, residents across Gary have named the same barrier: it’s not that people can’t afford healthy food options, it’s that they can’t access it.

On March 9, 2026, Gary Townmakers hosted the first of two Let’s Transform Your Neighborhood workshops from our GreenRoots Initiative. It was an evening that brought residents, local developers, environmental experts, and community partners together to deepen our shared understanding of brownfields, redevelopment, and the future we’re building in Gary. Click here to view the presentation document. This workshop was held in partnership with Jamie Zouras, Jenny Par, and Gillia

Part III of the November 14, 2025, GreenRoots Initiative workshop brought a deep dive into one of the most powerful tools available to anyone working with environmental history in Indiana.

...brownfield redevelopment is not abstract policy work. It’s a puzzle of land history, environmental risk, ownership patterns, and economic timing, and the region has tools to help communities navigate it.