New Plans for University Park

     New ideas are being drawn up about the future of University Park. There are many buildings around campus that are rarely put to use, and the community feels that changes should be made. Gary Mayor Freeman-Wilson and other Gary planners envision revitalizing the Broadway commercial district with the likes of Starbucks and Chipotle, while stabilizing the aging housing stock, which does have many pockets of vacant lots or abandoned buildings. Gary Department of Commerce Director J. Forest Hayes said work has already started on putting the plan into action, with the city using federal Housing and Urban Development dollars to demolish 70 structures, which typically attracted crime.