The city of Gary is updating some chapters of its municipal code after the Gary Common Council approved the change at its Tuesday meeting.
Council members approved the change in an 8-0 vote. Councilwoman Mary Brown, D-3rd, was absent.
Code changes will combine chapters 103, 107, 121 and 123 of the city municipal code, which relate to zoning and planning around the Gary/Chicago International Airport, zoning and planning around condominiums, and general zoning and planning within the city. The combined chapters will be a new Unified Development Ordinance and go into effect on Aug. 1, according to city documents.
Corrie Sharp, the city’s director of zoning, and Gary Plan Commission President Tom Cera gave an overview of the ordinance on Tuesday. Sharp told the council that the new code will allow the city to be more efficient in its communication and enhance regulations about development standards.
“We have added lighting standards, landscape standards and parking standards that were formerly not part of this code,” Sharp said before the vote. “So hopefully, if we were to adopt this tonight, we can work towards a beautiful Gary.”
Cera told council members that the plan commission held multiple public hearings about the code changes. The commission also gave a favorable recommendation for the change, he said.
“We had meetings at Marquette Park and also at the library,” Cera said. “I just want to emphasize the good work that the staff did and the public input that was included in this, and I commend you for what you’re doing to pass this.”
Cera also said the plan commission plans to update the city zoning map on June 4.
Councilwoman Lori Latham, D-1st, told Cera and Sharp that she had seen some opposition to the code, specifically at a property near the corner of Ash Place and Montgomery Street. The property has a sign in its yard protesting one of the lots in the neighborhood that might be split into two.
“I know we talked about how important new zoning regulations were to help us increase density,” Latham said. “I’m wondering, though, do you have something that we can say to neighbors defending our progress in the zoning code when they remonstrate against some of the changes we’ve made?”
Sharp said the new code will establish “strict development standards,” including minimum lot width and house sizes in the city. The old code had large lot standards, and it put a barrier on developing the city’s small lots.
“When we look at our standards like this, we evaluate requests to split lots to make sure that they are meeting the development standards,” Sharp said. “In that case, they were meeting the standards of the old code, which we’re operating under today. Under (the new) code, they would have different regulations.”
Council Vice President Darren Washington, D-at large, said Tuesday that it’s important for the city to continue looking at zoning ordinances and evaluating what developments are best for the city, especially as more communities in Northwest Indiana discuss receiving data centers.
Washington specifically mentioned Portage, where Mayor Austin Bonta said the city plans to create a special technology campus zoning category for data centers, according to Post-Tribune archives.
In March, Washington hosted a data center forum with Hoosier Environmental Council Executive Director Sam Carpenter. At the forum, Carpenter recommended Gary leadership work together to create an ordinance that sets guidelines for any potential data center developments within the community.
“It’s a big elephant in the room that we need to have a discussion with (Mayor Eddie Melton’s) administration about, and we can’t continue to act like it’s not there,” Washington said. “It’s going to need to be a partnership from the common council, administration and the planning commission.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
