Gary lands $3M for blight elimination
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The city of Gary has received $3 million from Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, which will unlock additional funding that will go toward blight elimination efforts.
Mayor Eddie Melton announced Wednesday that the funding is the result of a blight elimination matching grant program established through Senate Enrolled Act 434, which he authored last year when he was a state senator.
The bill makes a $3 million grant from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority available if the city can provide the same amount in matching funds. The city could receive another grant next year if it can raise another $3 million for a total of $12 million in funding over the two years.
The funding will specifically support blight elimination in Gary’s Metro Transit Development District, located around the city’s downtown Broadway Corridor.
“This catalytic donation from Hard Rock marks a new chapter in Gary’s story, one where we begin to turn the page on blight and write our future, a future in which Gary residents see real change and feel a renewed sense of pride in our downtown Broadway Corridor,” Melton said in a news release. “With this $3M contribution, we are planting seeds of hope and growth for our downtown.”
Our partners at Lakeshore Public Media report one of the first structures that Melton is eyeing for demolition is the parking garage located next to the Genesis Convention Center.
However, the mayor said he is still hoping to find a new use for the center itself, and an assessment on the venue to determine potential future uses is underway.
Melton said he hopes to land more funding for blight demolition through the second round of the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI 2.0.