On a crisp December evening, the Gary Townmakers community gathered to tackle one of the city’s most significant opportunities: Vacant Land. If you missed the workshop, here is a breakdown of the strategies, tools, and pathways discussed to help you research, access, and redevelop parcels in Gary.

The City of Gary has officially released its September 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update , a roadmap designed to guide the city’s long-term transformation over the next decade. While building on the foundation of previous planning efforts, this update marks a pivotal shift in strategy. It moves beyond high-level visioning to offer concrete steps for stabilizing neighborhoods, growing the population, and building generational wealth . If you are wondering what is in the new plan

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.

On November 14, 2025, community members, local partners, and environmental professionals gathered for Part II of the GreenRoots Initiative, an immersive workshop series focused on identifying and researching the ecological and environmental histories of properties in Gary.

A November 4, 2025, Bloomberg article entitled, "Can Anyone Save Gary Indiana?", frames Gary’s revival around thoughtful growth, small-developer empowerment, adaptive reuse, narrative change, and community-rooted planning.

On October 17, 2025, Lori Bebinger of the Indiana Brownfields Program presented, "What's in My Neighborhood?", a powerful overview of the state's resources for identifying, researching, and understanding brownfield sites, which are vital for the redevelopment of vacant and abandoned parcels in Gary.

On October 17, we at Gary Townmakers were thrilled to host John T. Morris, Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator for the Indiana Brownfields Program (IBP). John's message was one of great opportunity and the availability of financial resources!

On October 17, Gary Townmakers hosted a dynamic workshop, "Brownfields 101," featuring guest speaker Beth Grigsby, the Assistant Regional Director for Kansas State University's Technical Assistance to Brownfields (KSU TAB) program. The session offered a comprehensive look at how Gary can identify, assess, and redevelop brownfield sites, and underscored a powerful resource available to the city: KSU TAB's services are completely free.

According to NIRPC’s NWI 2050+ housing plan, Northwest Indiana is projected to gain 115,000 new residents over the next 25 years, requiring 50,000 additional housing units across Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties.  These priorities directly align with Gary’s current challenges and opportunities.

On May 3, 2022, StartUP Gary gathered community leaders, residents, and aspiring developers for a powerful session on Financing Incremental Development, a small-scale, community-led approach to neighborhood revitalization. The event served as both an education and a call-to-action: Gary’s comeback will not be handed to us; it will be built by us.