The City of Gary and Gary Redevelopment Commission (collectively “The City”) seeks an anchor development for hospitality/tourism, commerce, and potential eco-tourism, to complement the Indiana dunes waterfront, while capitalizing on significant year-round traffic.

Click here to download 860 N Lake St RFP (final) – posted 4-23-19

This is a unique opportunity to provide an asset solely available at this location. Lake Street Beach is the northernmost activity center along a newly revitalized commercial corridor currently undergoing nearly $400 million in public investment.

The City will consider the following uses:

– hospitality/hotels/lodging
– restaurants and dining
– unique attractions (science centers, museums, recreational amenities, etc.)
– tourist-oriented retail and pedestrian-oriented commerce

As a destination site with a substantial potential impact, a responsive proposal will not only be an economic driver, but also respect the surrounding environment and enhance the quality of life for Gary’s residents. Gary’s residents and local businesses have communicated the following guiding principles through robust public conversation via the Marquette Plan (2005), City of Gary Comprehensive Plan (ongoing), Gary Northside Redevelopment Project (2013), and Miller Neighborhood Spotlight Initiative (ongoing).

Focus on Eco-Tourism: The Indiana Dunes National Park draws 3.5 million visitors annually. The Property’s redevelopment is the single best chance to increase park traffic and highlight our natural assets. A responsive proposal will make the connection between nature and commercial opportunity.

Preservation of Public Access: The Property includes a 600-foot stretch of Lake Street, the central north-south corridor that connects Lake Michigan’s beachfront with the Lake Street commercial node and Miller rail station. Lake Street and the existing Chanute Trail must remain freely accessible public rights-of-way providing access to the waterfront and park network. Public access of the beach is non-negotiable, and a responsive proposal will preserve/enhance public access to the Lake Michigan waterfront and seek to re-purpose or replace existing utilities and public facilities, including public restrooms.

Protection of Existing Dunes and Wetlands: While the majority of the site consists of an already developed footprint, to the extent these areas abut natural dune features, a responsible proposal will preserve and enhance the natural assets that make the site unique and attractive; new development will observe a natural buffer from neighboring residences and natural assets.

Attractive, Responsible Design: Whether reconstruction of the existing facility or construction of a new facility, design choices will complement and enhance the lakefront’s natural beauty. A responsive proposal will reflect the character of the lakeshore and exemplify accessibility through context sensitive universal design standards and pedestrian-oriented principles.

RFP Timeline:

Week of April 22, 2019: Request for Proposals issued
June 19, 2019: Responses due to City of Gary Redevelopment Commission Responses opened at a public hearing
June 21, 2019: Notification to responsive bidders in advance of public presentation
Week of June 24, 2019: Responsive bidders will present their proposals at a public meeting
July 17, 2019: Gary Redevelopment Commission award at public hearing

Questions regarding this Request for Proposals can be directed to the following (email correspondence is strongly
preferred):
Joe van Dyk
City of Gary Redevelopment Commission
504 Broadway, S200
Gary, Indiana 46403
(219) 886-1531
jvandyk@ci.gary.in.us

Gary and its partners will continue plans for University Park East, following the completion of the Choice Neighborhood $500,000 two-year planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The effort produced the “Blueprint for Change,” with hopes the plan will be used to guide future investment and development in the University Park East neighborhood, as well as other city neighborhoods. To that end, the city is seeking a master developer and applications will be reviewed at the upcoming redevelopment commission meeting on Feb. 1.

“A request for qualifications for a master developer was issued at the end of December by the redevelopment commission — not just for the University Park East area — for the entire city,” said Bo Kemp, director of the Gary Economic Development Corp. The redevelopment commission will review applications at its Feb. 1 meeting.

The selected developer and any sub-developers are likely to have experience with mixed-use projects including retail, commercial and residential and may also have a specialty in affordable housing or student housing, according to Kemp.

“That is an important component we are looking for in University Park,” said Kemp. “The master developer will work with our blueprint and our team.”

Throughout the two-year grant process, the city worked with co-grantees Legacy Foundation and City of Gary Economic Development Corp. and key partners including Indiana University Northwest, Ivy Tech, Gary Community School Corp., WorkOne Indiana, Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, Broadway Area Community Development Corp., Gary

Public Transportation, Gary Redevelopment Commission, ARISE Gary and the EJP Consulting Group.

At a recent wrap-up meeting at IVY Tech, Kemp reviewed accomplishments since last summer and previewed work to be done this year.

“HUD was pleased,” said Kemp. “It has been a success at this stage.”

Kemp said the next step for University Park East would be to pursue a $30 million implementation grant. The application for the large grant is usually made available in the summer and applicants expect to hear back by end of the year. However, Kemp acknowledged it is unknown if HUD will offer the grant under the new federal administration.

“We are not waiting for that grant,” Kemp said. “We are already moving forward without it.”

One project on the radar for later this year is the groundbreaking for the new Community HealthNet Health Center at 1500-1535 E. 35th Ave.

Dr. Janet Seabrook, founder and CEO of Community HealthNet thanked Ivy Tech for transferring the land to the city to be used for the clinic.

Kemp said this spring he expects to see new LED street lights installed on Broadway between 25th and 45th avenues and other capital improvements on Broadway including paving, new bus shelters with solar lighting, benches, bike amenities and signage. The Broadway Metro Express service should launch this summer, he said.

Also in the works, a memorandum of understanding between the Gary Community School Corp. and the redevelopment commission to allow for the marketing and selling of vacant school property including Franklin School. A rendering of the area shows future use designated for single- and multi-family homes and a senior/community center.

According to Kemp, those improvements build on a list of accomplishments since June.

Some of those accomplishments include: City Bike Patrol, Indiana University Police Department’s Sweet Treat Ice Cream Truck Initiative, repaving 35th Avenue from Broadway to Martin Luther King Boulevard and Georgia from 39th Avenue to Interstate 80/94, establishment of neighborhood block clubs, expansion of the Housing Repair Program, launch of the City Life Center’s City Kids after school program, 32nd Avenue Flow Diversion Modification Project to improve the neighborhoods sanitary sewage system, cleanup on vacant lots and patched potholes.

Sidewalks, curbs and housing repairs, crime, abandoned houses and vacant lots that attract illegal dumping continue to be a concern for residents, who brought up the issues during question and answer period.

Kemp urged residents to be vigilant about cutting their grass and keeping everything clean, because people are less likely to dump trash in areas where the trash can be seen.

Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Original Article
Copyright © 2017, Post-Tribune

GARY — The city’s Redevelopment Commission plans to acquire about 3,500 parcels of tax-delinquent property this year with money provided by a private redevelopment partner.

The commission late Wednesday afternoon approved MaiaCo LLC’s annual plan that includes details about the development partner’s plan for the coming year.

The Redevelopment Commission on July 29 entered into a public-private partnership with MaiaCo LLC., in which the company will provide cash and other resources to help the commission acquire and redevelop large sections of the city.

According to the strategic plan approved by the commission, MaiaCo intends to invest $2.85 million this year. Of that amount, about $2 million is expected to go toward funding the Redevelopment Commission’s acquisition of 3,500 tax-delinquent parcels in the city. Joseph Van Dyk, Gary’s planning and redevelopment director, expressed confidence Wednesday in the commission acquiring the properties this year.

MaiaCo has hired two Gary residents to serve as community liaisons. One is Ben Robinson, a former city building commissioner, and the other Taylr Davis, worked as a city intern. The company also has established a website at maiaco.com where it will post project updates, according to Michael W. Reinhold, a partner with the company who appeared at Wednesday’s meeting.

The properties the commission is acquiring are those that passed through the county’s tax sale in November. While money from MaiaCo will be used in acquiring the land, the commission will determine what property to acquire and be the owners of the land. MaiaCo will be reimbursed only after the property is sold, or leased, to an outside entity.

“MaiaCo does not own any land, is not acquiring any land and does not decide what happens with any land,” Reinhold told commissioners.

Both Reinhold and Van Dyk said there also may be cases there the land acquired may be used for other purposes than for development, such as for a park or for green infrastructure. In that case, they said, MaiaCo will not receive reimbursement.

The commission is looking at three primary locations for the acquisitions, according to Van Dyk. They include the Broadway corridor between Interstate 80/94 and Interstate 90, several blocks south of I-80/94 between Chase and Burr streets, and the Aetna neighborhood north of I-90 and south of the abandoned railroad tracks between Lake Street and the I-90 interchange.

In addition to the money being used for property acquisition, MaiaCo will be investing $500,000 to support redevelopment, including recruiting partners to assist in creating the citywide, land-use plan and updating the city’s zoning codes. Another $350,000 is slated for general and administrative support, which could include gathering and analyzing data to help in the commission’s decision making.

In addition, MaiaCo has established a Maia Community Foundation, a nonprofit sister organization to help residents prepare for opportunities that may become available, which could include helping when it comes to access to job training, child care or access to transportation.

Reinhold said he Greg Goldner and B.R. Lane are the primary investors in the project. Goldner is the founder and chief executive officer of Resolute Consulting, of Chicago, and Lane, a former chief of staff for the city and interim director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport, is now an executive vice president with Resolute.

The three other shareholders listed are also employed by Resolute, which has done public relations work for the airport authority. Reinhold, who said MaiaCo will be seeking additional investors as well, did not see a conflict of interest when it came to Resolute.

Original Article
Ed Bierschenk | The Times NWI

It’s not everybody who’s capable of looking at Gary and seeing something comparable to Cannes, the city on the French Riviera with luxury hotels and restaurants.

But that suggestion was among many offered Thursday by would-be developers who got a chance to present their ideas for the city to Gary municipal officials.

The Cannes suggestion came from Eileen Rhodes, of the East Lake Management and Development Corp., a Chicago firm that has started to acquire properties across Gary in hopes of being involved in their future development.

Rhodes said she sees a similarity between the French resort community and Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood, located in the city’s northeast corner and at the southernmost tip of Lake Michigan.

However, Rhodes said Miller lacks the amenities that would allow it to fulfill its potential as being part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. “There’s not enough for (would-be tourists) to do,” she said.

“There are a few quality restaurants, but not enough to bring in lots of visitors,” she said. “We need to have amenities built so that a hotel in the neighborhood would be economically feasible.”

East Lake officials did not tout specific projects for Gary but pointed out work they had done in Chicago in a West Side medical district and also in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side – hoping that such talk would appeal to Gary officials to give them a chance.

City officials also heard from seven other groups, including companies from Cleveland, suburban Washington, D.C., and New York, along with several firms from across the Chicago area and Merrillville-based Arsh Group – which has been involved with developing plans for the future of the University Park neighborhood between the Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College campuses.

Economic Development Coordinator Bo Kemp said that city officials hope hearing from the developers gives them ideas for projects that can be built all across Gary, although he also said the city was not committing itself on Thursday to building any of the proposals.

Kemp said areas around Methodist Hospital, the South Shore Line‘s Miller station, and the airport were priority sites he’d like to see addressed.

Vance Kenney, who is involved with the redevelopment of the 504 Broadway building in downtown Gary that has been converted into office space, said that project is actually the beginning of redevelopment of the area of that stretches west to the hospital.

While Rhodes talked of the property her group has already purchased, including the old Dunes 12/20 bowling alley in the Miller neighborhood located near the South Shore train station. “We want to be involved with Gary, we’re waiting to see what you want developed in the area before we decide what to do so we can fit in with the community,” she said.

Although Redevelopment Commission Executive Director Joseph Van Dyk said that could backfire in that it means her group could be subjected to extra scrutiny from Gary officials.

“I drive by that bowling alley every day,” he said. “It doesn’t look great.”

Also addressing city officials was TaJuana Tang, a manager of Tandem Ventures in Chicago, who said that Gary should not underestimate the potential it has for development in the 21st century.

“Gary is rich, fertile ground for development to take place,” she said.

She also said that city officials would be thinking small if it focused its attention on job creation from construction of new projects, saying, “Constructions jobs are great, but we’re talking about opportunity for sustained development that will last for years.”

Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Original Article
Copyright © 2017, Post-Tribune