Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

[Music] It is truly honored and a blessed to be here today to celebrate a friend, to recognize someone that has given so much of themselves for a number of years, not just to the city of Gary, but specifically to the Gary Community School Corporation and especially Westside Theater Guild. there just all you know a host of of emotions um myriad of ideas and memories in this beautiful facility has been transformative and I'm grateful so may this auditorium continue to be a place where creativity is born where voices are heard where the light of inspiration never dims and as is written in Matthew 5:6 let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven I thank you all for this extraordinary honor. God bless you. Did you know the city of Gary has a 311 app? You can report any non-emergency request right from your smartphone. Need help dealing with unfair landlords? Use the app.

Girl, I just don't understand. I'm paying rent and my landlord isn't fixing any of the issues in this apartment. What should I do? You know, you can report it on the Gary 311 app. Do you have it? What's that? Let me show you. Just go to your app store. Or maybe you need to request the birth certificate. Yeah, I can't find my birth certificate. Well, it probably just got misplaced during the move. Actually, we can request the new one through the Gary 311 app. Okay, new technology. I'm in. Let me show you. And guess what? You can even report illegal dumping. Look at him just dumping his garbage on private property.

Well, called him in 4K. You know, we can report them on the Gary 311 app and to GPD's text tip. That's good.

Never feel frustrated again about an issue. Use the Gary 311 app to report all your non-emergency needs. It's a free application that allows users to report community issues, pinpoint the location with GPS, attach photos, and more, all right from your smartphone. Download the Gary 311 app today. Available on iOS and Android. This is a very special day for the city of Gary to have this opportunity. Gary is a historic city and it's truly a unique opportunity for us to be here almost 70 years ago. On April 22nd, 1959, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was here to accept the key to the city from then mayor George Teres. Today, as mayor, I'm excited to welcome his daughter, Dr. Bernice King, to our city. She is a global thought leader, a peace advocate, and the CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolence Social Change, the King Center, which was founded by her mother and is a legacy to her late father.

And nonviolence is first transformative for the self. So for all those who ever told you or if you believe that it doesn't work, if it doesn't work, it means that you didn't allow it to work on you first. As you change, you begin to become infectuous. I think would happen in the movement that my father led and why he was effective um in very challenging and difficult times. He immersed himself in nonviolence, not just something that he picked up as a tactic to be utilized in various campaigns and demonstration, but for him it was a way of life. Um starting with the way you think. Um and then it goes out into the way you speak, act, and engage. Uh, and so that's the work that we are doing at the King Center. It's very hard work and hard work, which means it takes much longer um for people to get it and and um but I'm I'm committed um to carrying forth that part of his legacy.

What's up everybody? This is Mayor Eddie Melson of the great city of Gary, Indiana, and I have a brief message. Listen, the health and safety of Gary residents is and always will be my highest priority. That's why the city of Gary through the health department along with code enforcement, the building department, and the fire department has taken firm and swift action against several food establishments and grocery stores that violate. Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the plan conditions uh meeting for uh the month of September. Uh I'd like to call this meeting to order and uh Carla Morgan is here in place of Marco. So would you please uh do roll call?

Yes. Uh roll call is to establish quorum. Uh Tom Sarah present. Jeremiah King, Adam Hall, Bill Cook present. Willie Miller present. Alan Murel present. D Washington, Sherman Wilson, and William Allen present.

So out of the seven um members, we have one, two, three, four, five present. So we have four. So we have a quorum. So we'll proceed with business. Our first item of business is the approval of of the minutes uh and the agenda. Uh we do have uh two corrections from the uh uh minutes that were submitted to us. One is the date change. there was an error that stated July 24th and it's actually August 21st meeting and also there was uh Professor Maryanne Casado from the University of Notre Dame uh her name was misrepresented in the minutes. So uh with those two corrections I'm looking for a motion to approve uh the minutes and the today's agenda.

Mr. Chair, I move for passage of the information as presented. I second that motion. Roll call, please. Tom S. Yes. Bill Cook, yes. Will Miller, yes. Alan Morel, yes. Uh, will Allen? Yes. Okay. Uh, motion carries with five votes.

Okay. Thank you very much. All right. We'll move on to PC 2025-15. That's a reszone to B3 at the the address of 423 Bridge Street. uh reszone from R5 to B5-2. Petitioner is Ronald Bruno. Um and I wanted to turn that over to staff for a brief uh description recommendation.

Uh this is a petition for a reszone. The petitioner has asked for um this request after he previously reszoned the rest of the block. This is a bread company on this road that is looking for uh to expand his business and uh we're excited to have that expansion happen. In order for that facility to expand, he needs to uh extend his property and uh that means reszoning this parcel. This used to be a residential block. Uh it is slowly over the years shifted into a commercial corridor on the east side of the road. Um and with fourth and fifth streets being one way. This is the block where it transitions and there's a strong hard turn south to Fifth Street. So it's directing a lot of truck traffic down this road. Uh and so commercial business is appropriate on this side of the street, especially since uh they're already located there and looking to expand. So, uh staff recommendation is favorable in this regard.

Thank you very much, Corey. All right. Is anybody here as a petitioner here? Would you like to speak? It's up to you. Huh? Can you have a copy? If you do, if you would like to speak, we have to come up to the microphone. Okay. and state your name and address and wherever you can just turn around. Sure. Okay. Yes.

So, um my name is Ron Berno and I live at 456 Marshall Street in Gary right on the other block. And um so we've uh been here in Gary uh since 1983. And um we opened a business in 2004, a bread business. And uh so we've been here now 21 years this year. Uh we've expanded and opened another building. Uh and the building that we just built is 12,000 square ft and we are hoping to expand into the next lot. There was a prop a house there. We tore the house down, cleared the lot, and uh we'd like to just have it reszoned so that uh in the future we can move uh put an addition on.

All right. Thank you. Thank you. U any questions from the commissioners for the petitioner? I have none. Okay. Uh I'd like to open it up for uh any any open up to the public. Anybody you'd like to speak for or against PC 2025-15? One more chance. Hearing none. Seeing none, the public portion of this petition is is closed. So, uh, commissioners, I'm looking for a motion, uh, for or against, uh, this reszone from R5 to B52, uh, 2025-15.

Mr. Chair, I move for passage of, uh, this petition based on our staff's recommendation. That's petition number 20 25-15. I would second that motion. Okay. Thank you. Roll call, please. Okay. Tom Sarah. Yes. Jeremiah King. Yes. Bill Cook. Yes. Will Miller. Yes. Alan Morel. Yes. And William Allen. Yes. With the unanimous vote of all six members present. Motion passes.

Okay. Congratulations. I would like to note that Jeremiah King did listen to this and mark the minutes that he's in attendance. All right. We'll move on to PC 2025-14 uh which is a a vacation of rightaway uh which is a continuence uh from our August meeting. Uh just in summary, it's at 6533 West 15th Avenue. Request to vacate petitioners Franco Francois Luben of Interlutch LL.

As you remember, this is a request for vacation. and it's a vacation of a a a right of way that is on the east side of his parcel and the uh south side of his parcel. And um over the la course of this last month, we've had a lot of internal discussion around um whether this vacation is um uh valid as a far as um the deed ownership. Remember that was a question at the last meeting. We have confirmed with the county uh the county had made a clerical error on the deed. Uh so that the application in a clutch is accurate as it's reflected in in the packet and last month's packet. Uh we have also had conversations with corporation council Morgan about um the um property to the south which is owned by the city and whether we want to continue to um provide access to this. Um it's um affectionately known as the J pit. So if you're familiar with this area there, um we have director Harris here as well. We've asked him to sign up um and make a presentation as far as this relates to the connection to um the J pit on the south. And attorney Morgan, I'll let you fill in any any gaps that that I may have missed.

Well, um just to keep things in order, petitioner want to speak again and then so that um that concludes my presentation and then I'll let you continue on with the Do you have a recommendation hour later? Yeah. Um well, last month we made a favorable recommendation and um we have not wranged our recommendation in the written form. However, I think you may find in our discussion this afternoon that our our um recommendation may have changed. Okay. Wow. All right. So, petitioner Franis Franis here.

Okay. All right, then. Um, he he was here. He was before the meeting started. Yeah. Yeah. Let me go check. Okay. Why don't you open it up for public hearing? Okay. We'll open it up for uh public comments or excuse me first. Are there any questions from the commissioners before I open it up to the public? I I have a question. There was a considerable back and forth regarding access based on this vacation. Has that been resolved? No, sir. It has director Harris is here to address some of that, but I can answer questions as well. Okay. Okay. Good. If I may, if you and if you get closer to the microphone. Sure.

If I may, attorney Morgan, share this with the plan commission. Um, so again, thank you, commissioners. Uh, my name is Christopher Harris. I'm the director of redevelopment for the city of Gary. Um, I wanted to speak, uh, against, uh, PC 2025-14. Um, vacating Fairbanks Street. Uh, the reason being is that, uh, we have 100 acres of land that belongs to the Redevelopment Commission. um that ultimately although um it is a uh clean field site, we do have the ability to redevelop that site to bring jobs to our city. Understand we have to be very creative with um how we can develop in the city. You see other communities um in our periphery uh that are developing in green field sites. Um we don't have many 100 uh acre contiguous parcels of land to develop. Um, and this is one of the few that we do have that we can develop to bring jobs to our city. Not only is it an ideal site adjacent to Canadian National Railway to the West, uh, but it's also accessible to 15th Avenue to Klein Avenue for, um, access throughout the region. Um, hindering access on Fairbank Street would only just make this property less marketable in the future. Uh I've been working with uh our uh director department, our director of environmental affairs uh Britta Scott Henry um with the EPA uh determining how and when we can develop this site uh to bring onshoring job opportunities to the city. But understand it's extremely um it's a challenge being able to bring viable development to the city when we have our neighbors and our and our periphery that have green field sites that they can actively develop with no issue. We have to be very creative with the land that we have because we're landlocked. Um, so I highly recommend that uh we have a that you have unfavorable recommendation to vacate uh this parcel concerning the land that we have to develop immediately to the south of it.

Are you saying favorable or unfavorable? Unfavorable. Um and understanding too that the history of the J pit uh the JPit was developed as a uh sand quy. Um so uh to develop local roadways in the 1950s 1960s the JPit was really used to just mine sand and then after the sand was mined uh then now we're just back filling it with with clean fill. Um but it can be developed and it can be very useful to Gary's future and we just ask that you take that in consideration. Thank you. Thank you. I'd like to Oh, go ahead. Sorry. Wait, hold on. I'm sorry.

Yeah, just so I have a few pictures. So, this shows that the petitioner, Mr. Luben, has actually fenced in the city right away. Um, which is not legal. Um, he's got a rod iron fence in front and that's not it. Um, and then he's got a chain link fence along the tree line, which if you look at the maps of this from above, the county GIS map shows that this is still city right away, but um the Google Earth map shows that that area has been fenced in. And I went out there actually and took pictures that show that he's done an act that, you know, code enforcement is. We've been having a stepped up enforcement of a lot of things, but encroaching on city land and just blocking off right away is uh never going to be okay.

So that is the um northwest. I was on the northwest um part of the property. I was in the street and taking that picture. So, yes, sir. Thank you. Point of clarification. Are you telling us that there was no permit because I we're I think we're aware that no fencing or anything can occur without proper permit in those things. So, just to clarify, you're telling us that this fence was installed illegally.

That's what I'm saying. And I'm also saying it was illegal to block off the city right away. It had not been vacated. You know, he's asking to vacate it now. That should have happened years ago before it was blocked off. So that cuts off access to the city own land that's at the end of what would have been that road. And uh there's a J pit and then there's um 37 acres worth of parcels that are separate parcels that where that road ends. That's the access to those developable parcels that redevelopment owns. So, if this is vacated, there's no way to get to those parcels. There's a dirt road that goes the other way around to the JPEG, but it would impair the city's ability to do any development in that area.

I grew up on that side of the city. Okay. Okay. Open it up to the public now. Sure. Cory, is there do you have anything to add from the city perspective? No. And Mr. Lubian is not out there. He's not there. Okay. So, I will open it up to the public. Uh, as a reminder, uh, please, uh, state your name and your address. And everybody gets two minutes.

I'm Robert Golding. I'm an attorney. 1194 Joliet Street in Dyer. I represent Alex Petroski, who owns these two lots within the subdivision. As I understand the petition, petition is to vacate Fairbanks Street and 17th. The problem here is is that that if you do that, you're going to effectively landlock my client. I believe this plat of vacation vacated the east half of Hbert Street, but did not vacate the west half of Hbert Street. So, right now, my client would be able to go in here, here, and come up into his properties. However, Mr. Luben, as has been demonstrated here, illegally installed a fence here which blocks off access to Hobert here. So, um I think that, you know, based on his unlawful activity of blocking this off and the fact that my client will become effectively landlocked, I certainly join in the city's uh uh recommendation that uh this petition be denied. I I think it would be inappropriate. And if you'd like this plated into the record, you're welcome to have it. That's that's a

Okay. Thank you. Is there a motion to enter uh the plaque that was provided by attorney Golding into the record? Second roll call vote. Tom, yes. Caroline King, yes. Adam Hall, I'm sorry. Bill Cook, yes. Uh Will Miller, yes. Alan Morel, yes. And Will Allen,

yes. Uh any anybody else from the public would like to to speak about this? Last chance. Okay. Hearing none. Seeing none, uh the public port uh portion comments portion of this is concluded. Uh looking for a motion from uh one of my fellow commissioners uh uh for or against the vacation of 420 of this uh for 2025-14 6533 West 15th Avenue. Mr. Chair, I recommend we deny 2025-14. All right. I second that motion.

Okay. Due to what the staff recommendations were and some illegal activity, I think it's a What's your reasons? Okay. So, roll call, please. Okay. Real quick, just for clarification, we're voting to deny. So, if I say yes, then I agree with that recommendation. Okay. Uh, is there any other discussion on the motion? Uh, just point um the fence that was installed not only is blocking Fairbanks, but the other gentleman's access to so it's twice as bad. Okay. So, um,

in other situations where code enforcement illegal fences have been built. We cite the owner or the person who's directed that illegal fence and uh take them to court. We order them to take the fence down. If they don't take it down, the city will demolish that fence. And we access the rightway. Looks like it needs work because the weeds have been allowed to grow over the that that northwest portion of the rightway, but the city would take action. the owner does not immediately respond to the city's request that he unblock the cities right away. And just to clarify, that expense would then be a part of that process of recouping those dollars,

right? If the city has to do it, we're going to go after him for the money. And if he doesn't immediately pay, we'll lean the property. So then he'll have to pay when he pays his taxes. Okay. Thank you. I do have a question. Do we need to uh have a motion to put this into the Yeah, if you'd like that enter. I think that should be entered into the record as well. Okay. So, there's a motion on the table, but you can do a secondary motion to enter that into the

secondary motion to vote on the secondary motion and come back and vote on the main motion to deny the position motion for this. I'd like to make a motion that we submit the J JPEG uh document or development opportunity information that details the land that the city owns. Second. Second. Thank you. Roll call, please. Tom Sarah, yes. Jeremiah King, yes. Bill Cook, yes. Will Miller, yes. Alan, yes. And Will Allen, yes.

All right. Now, uh, we do have another motion, uh, that's seconded. Are there any other comments or questions before we proceed to roll call? And this is to deny 25 and 25-14. Roll call, please. Tom Sarah, yes. Jeremiah, yes. Bill Cook, yes. Will Miller, yes. Alan, yes. Will Allen, yes. So motion passes 6 to zero to deny uh PC 2025-14 to vacate the rightway.

All right. The last item on our uh agenda today is the uh comprehensive plan review. Uh actually we're just going to reopen public comments. We're not going to review. Are you going to have Well, I'll turn it over to you for introduction.

Yeah. Well, as an induct in introduction and before I um continue on, all three of these petitions today will go to city council. So, these are all your recommendations and then they'll head to city council for final final action. So, um we I have in my hands drafts of the comprehensive plan from July, August, uh and even earlier this month in September. And I believe you all um received the final draft. It is online as well. Uh this final draft we have been taking comments from you, from city council, from executive leadership, uh department heads, this the city all or not the citizens all the way up until last week. And so I just want to uh highlight a couple of those changes based on last month's compreh or last month's plan commission meeting and then uh some of the other input that we've gotten from department heads. So, uh, last month there were, uh, public comments, uh, centered around, um, there was some trucking comments and, uh, community gardens and, uh, workforce development. And, um, we had some email correspondents with, uh, the teams that were representing those groups. Just for followup for you and the public, uh trucking is uh something that we will be able to address in the zoning code because it's a very specific um land use classification. It's not a very broad highlevel vision. Now, we do have a transportation section in here where we talk about um the safe streets for all plan that um our director Will Allen uh put together through his department and we're

incorporating his document into uh this comprehensive plan for formal adoption. Uh the same is true for community gardens. that is a uh land use classification that we will dive deep into in the zoning code as a permitted land use activity. But from a high level, um we are uh it it's not incorporated in here. However, uh we are incorporating language uh to support activities like that, like community gardens um and fostering um parks and um citizen activity in our community. We worked with our director of sustainability, Brenda Scott Henry, uh to strengthen the nature and climate section. and um she actually provided some great input around um the existing conservation of land efforts, the um projects that are ongoing today and then how do we want to address our watersheds going forward. So that is a language that has been added into the comprehensive plan coming straight from our director of sustainability. Um also we received um some good feedback from Nerpsy uh and they have provided us with some additional maps and and input around the Giri elevated trail which is an elevated trail that will stretch across the town from east to west. This is a long-term vision. So this would be a project that would be appropriate for a comprehensive plan similar to the a marina concept is we're trying to establish a baseline of if the federal government says where's your plan you know is it in here if you want federal money where's your plan then we

can hand them this document and say here it is and it's and it's in here. So we've incorporated that as well. Then um we also got feedback from a a workforce group and um we don't necessarily deal with this is a land use document and the sections that we have in here are associated with um how can we support um that land use of residential, commercial, manufacturing. Uh so we don't deal with workforce necessarily. However, we wanted to support that language. Um and and again like the community gardens encourage workforce uh development and catering to that. So we do have an implementation section in here. It's um it's bullet formatted but we've incorporated some workforce language about just supporting examples of how like for instance work on increasing access to local healthy food within the city. um and um start to promote workforce development and encourage entrepreneurship and small business incubation. So those are um some bullet items that have been added into the language. Uh we added also a uh a welcome letter from the mayor into this document. And then also and I'm happy to read that if you would like me to read it out loud. And um then on the land use the land use plan uh we had um a correction actually that came out through our plan commission meeting at the last meeting. We we hung around the boards and talked with the citizens and actually our uh Taliston opportunity campus only half of it was designated as a destination district. So on our land use map we've we've made

that correction. Um and then um the other critical thing is to to um make it more readable. We've taken off the FEMA flood plane level on this. You may remember in the former maps there was some cross-hatching that stretched across it that that um information the FEMA map is provided back in the nature section as a large map. So um the information is still there. we're just not double doubling it up on the land use map. So, I just wanted to highlight that for you as well. Um, we feel that we have um gone right up to the ninth minute on um taking input and really making changes all the way till the end. And now we do feel like we're ready for you to make a recommendation pending today's conversation with the continued um open public hearing as well.

Okay. Thank you, Corey. Yep. I think we'll open it up to the public. We actually we are open. This has continued from our August meeting. So, the public comment portion was open and and and it is now open. So, anybody would like to speak about the comprehensive plan. Uh please come on up. You get two minutes. Please state your name and address. And please stand near the microphone so you can be picked up and be part of the record. That's good enough. Is that okay?

Hi, my name is Latana Rogers. I'm in the fourth district. I live at 1635 Rhode Island Street, Gary, Indiana. I'm here to speak on behalf of the Palaski community. And on behalf of the the uh abandoned school that was added to the comp comprehension plans at the last minute, I want you to know why I have a passion to keep fighting for my legacy. We already my name is Lata Rogers. I live fourth district block club community 300 ft from the location of Dumbar Palaski Middle School, Williams School and Elker Elker Preschool Daycare. The Blaski school, Williams school and playground area were adjourned ad ajarred on this APN associated partial and has been revised but the Pilaski playground has lost some of its park. My parents and other families established home ownership in 1964 and I am one of the several offsprings of of of the old owners and own the property now. Okay, let me get my going. The community was built from the growing indirection families of working class being migrated. All of the walks of life ran from the Jim Crow in the south states to give us family a chance to be have a better living. Gary Indiana was the place to be if you was a minority. The best opportunity schools etc. rehad in Gary. The Polish in 19 in the early 20s decided to build Dumbar Palaski as a hub as a culture of a society for society activities and give minorities houses to have from re relocating from the south. I am here today to voice a concern for the sudden added school properties to these

comprehension plan. The residents who live 300 ft has not been given a formal address. We're asking for a formal address for the people who's affected 300 ft that has not been addressed and has not had an opportunity to to speak on this behalf. So in this meeting it was I'm sorry in the meeting um this was changed some people my organizations was told Marquette but I I didn't get the memo that it was changed here. So I want to give them the opportunity to come forth. I'm not asking for you to to to not vote on the comprehension plan. I'm asking you just to delay the schools that was added to this comprehension plan without us being notified 300 ft. Mr. Carter did notify us. We voted on that, but he passed. Now, all of this southern all the the schools has been added to this comprehension plan. And I think that out of respect for the people who live 300 feet, they need to be advised and sent notices of what they're going to their plans are to do with their areas.

Thank you. All right. Okay. Who's next? Anybody else? I'll take a shot. I I didn't mean to shop. Yeah, be careful.

Uh, good afternoon. My name is Jim Noaki. live in the second district and um this will now be the fourth comprehensive plan that I've participated since I've been in Gary uh the last 25 years. There was a one the first year I came here and then there's been the uh three more. So, this is now the fourth um comprehensive plan that I participated in. And I've always and I'm excited about this one because it's really so small. And the previous plans, I don't know if you've noticed, they were very, very thick. If you go to the county library right there on Route 30, you will find a a shelf full of planning. and Gary. I don't know if you're familiar with that, Miss Sharp, but it's a it's about 8 ft of plans for the city of Gary. In other words, the city of Gary has plans and eventually they end up on the shelf at the county library. Now, this is the fourth master plan we've had here. And I'm not I'm excited that we've got a comprehensive plan as you noted that that's been a little been edited down because uh just because it's a big plan doesn't mean it's a good plan. As a matter of fact, I would even make the conclusion that if those big plans were so good, we would just take that off of the shelf and go to Kinko's and and and submit it again. So, I think this is exciting that we've got a new plan. It's it's comprehensive, but it's also concise. And I don't know what's in it, but um I was excited about that. We've got bullet points, you know, because the reason we've got a comprehensive plan is not because we're going to do what's in the plan. As a matter of fact, Miss Sharp even said, it's not we're going to do this. and Gary, it's we need a comprehensive plan

so we can go to um different u uh uh entities that give grants and things. So, we have to have a comprehensive plan if we're going to beg for money. It's not because we want to do what's in the comprehensive plan. We just want money for the things we put in the comprehensive plan. Doesn't mean we're going to do them, but so I'm going to urge you to pass the comprehensive plan. I know Miss Sharp has been working on it for a long time. I haven't seen it. I don't know if you've seen it or not, but let's vote for it. And if it's not any good, we're going to find out uh in a few years when we have another comprehensive plan. Thank you.

Good afternoon everyone. My name is Carolyn McCrady. I live in the first district 8241 locust and I'm a member of guard Gary advocates for responsible development and I would say about this plan I know we've had other plans and they have he's right they have ended up on a shelf because there was not the political will nor the citizen engagement nor the desire to make them real. We know that we are starting to rebuild city of Gary from the ground up and this time we want to do it right and I think that the fact that we had the level of citizen engagement that we've had on these plans Jim can say he's never seen it. He was at all the meetings I was at. So I don't know why he didn't see it all. Okay. Anyway, a lot of people saw the plans. Hundreds of people saw the plans and had an opportunity to look at the plans and say what they thought about what should go there, what makes sense for the community. Now, he's also right. That doesn't mean that what we think should go there or what the plan commission has suggested is going to go there. We know that because that depends on the RFPs that put out and the developers that respond and what they say they want to do. And as I have explained to to people that are not as familiar with the process that it takes a while for a development to become real, but there's a lot of citizen engagement. And that is the the thing that I love about living in Gary at this time and place. I've been through 40 years of that not happening with the exception of Richard Hatcher. you know, just things happening behind the scenes and you didn't know what or why. So the the the the the um the guessing game is over and now we have actual uh ways in which to rebuild our city that probably won't make everyone

happy, but at least it is a way of doing it that is democratic with a small D that includes the people. And I just say congratulations Corey Sharp. We are so glad that you are here and we're so glad we're so glad that everyone on her team, you know, on her team and and that that our new zoning administrator is here also and our engineers. So, I'm just happy. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else?

Okay, hearing none, last chance. Hearing none. being on the public portion is is over but you can still speak.

Thank you Mr. President. I just wanted to um provide some background around some of the comments that were made during the public hearing. Um first of all um I I should have done this at the very beginning. Um I want to thank MKSK. They are the author of the and really the graphic artist for the this plan. It is very concise. We started with the 2019 comprehensive plan as the foundation. Our goal was to update that plan not recreate the wheel. So that is what we have done. We have also um while the meat of this document is just this big. uh we will uh we are as I've shared with you attaching all of our recent plans into the appendix uh and so it will end up being a very large plan because but we're going to keep the appendix separate because um it's they're large documents and uh but we do want them uh adopted by city council. So some of the plans are um Mr. Will Allen's uh safe streets for all program. While we incorporate that into the appendix, it would be incorporated. It would be adopted by council. Another one would be the downtown uh Gary Vision and action plan. That's the plan that the University of Not Notre Dame Housing and Community Regenerative Initiative did and she came and spoke last month last month. The climate ready Gary plan that was done by director Brenda Scott Henry in 24. The Gary metro TOD strategic implementation plan and the Gary Miller TOD imple implementation plan. The Gary regional intermoal plan, the parks master plan, the NERSY uh regional plan,

the Gary airport master plan, and the Gary infrastru infrastructure plan. The last one was previously included in the 2019 plan, but it is still very valid and I know that the um the green team so to speak is actively working that plan. So again, having those documents adopted as a part of this uh will be incorporated into the appendix. And then finally, just to address Miss Rogers comments about a public notification. So this is not a reszone. it this these redevelopments uh as our our fellow citizens have shared these are vision ideas. So when um these properties are actually zoned residential or they're zoned um commercial or institutional right now any new development that actually happens we have to look at this plan and say okay does it conform with this when they come and ask for a reszone or if they file for a permit we look to this now if they need a reszone then they um that is the time when The notification goes out to the neighbors and a reszone. All neighbors within 400 ft of all sides of the property are notified. If it's a variance request, that's 100 ft on all four sides. So um the notification for this comprehensive plan was um citywide and so newspaper publications were used to um publicize the these meetings. And that concludes my comments unless you have specific questions for me.

Any questions, commissioners? No, I have not. No. So, all right. Well, so the comment from the the concern really isn't that concerned until something happens. is close to the thought

and and those neighbors will absolutely be notified of of any development um assuming they need to reszone um or get any variance through the board of zoning appeals or the plan commission because these are just ideas right now. It's not an actual development plan where we see what structures are being torn down, what's being kept, um where are where are the parking lots, what houses are going in, how far how what's the spacing of these houses. We actually have no clue. We won't know until we c we, you know, have a plan in front of us from a developer, from a private property owner.

Thank you. Fellow commissioners, I'm looking for a motion for or against. Mr. Chair, to make a motion that we adopt the city's redevelopment plan. Second that. Okay. Did you second? I did second that. So, we do have a motion and a second. Carla, roll call, please. Are there any comments from Commissioner? All right. Roll call. Tom Sarah. Yes. Jeremiah King, yes. Bill Cook, yes. Will Miller? Yes. Alan Herel, yes. Will Allan, yes.

Okay. Motion passes six to zero. Uh so, uh the next thing we'll do is uh submit this to the city council for their consideration. There also will be a public hearing at that point. Um so, good step one at least. Yeah. All right. So, that's the end of the business. Uh our next meeting is October 16th uh 2025 at 3:30 p.m. for everybody to know that which is a Thursday. So motion to adjourn, please. Is a location to be determined? I believe so. Hudson Campbell. Hudson Campbell. So we're going to put that in the minutes unless 3:30 Hudson Campbell. Second the motion to adjurnn.

Motion to adjurnn, please. I second the motion that we adjourn. I'll make a motion. All in favor? All in favor? I Any opposed? [Music]