Gary council sends Beckman School PUD back to planning committee after hours of public comment

The Gary Common Council on April 1 withdrew a motion to adopt CPO 2025‑17, a proposed planned unit development (PUD) to redevelop the former Beckman School site, and unanimously referred the petition back to the Planning & Development Committee for further review and conditions.

The measure, introduced as CPO 2025‑17 and sponsored by the zoning department, would have rezoned the site to allow a mixed light‑industrial, wholesale, distribution and office complex the petitioner called the 20th & Grant Commerce Center. The council voted 9–0 to withdraw the immediate vote and to send the proposal back to committee with a planning committee meeting set for April 8 at 5:30 p.m. and a public hearing scheduled for April 15 at 6:00 p.m.

The Planning and Zoning Department and the plan commission had recommended against the PUD after reviewing the petition at their Feb. 20 meeting. Corey Sharp, senior planner with the City of Gary Planning and Zoning Department, told the council the plan commission’s unfavorable recommendation rested on five principal concerns: the site’s immediate proximity to single‑family homes, absence of an underlying zoning district for key standards, proposed building height and rooftop allowances, lack of minimum front/side/rear setback depths, and the massing of a single large structure that would be out of character with the neighborhood.

"This proposal is not a truck stop," Sharp said at the council meeting, noting the commission’s specific technical concerns about setbacks, nuisance controls and height. She said a revised filing that includes an underlying M1 district and clearer development standards would help the petitioners address the commission’s objections.

Petitioners and their consultants, represented by attorney Michael Wieser and architect Carl Heitman of Heitman Architects, argued the project would turn a long‑vacant, deteriorated school site into an "incubator" building for offices, light manufacturing and distribution uses and could attract employers. Heitman described modern, lower‑emissions industrial buildings and said the team plans to remove asbestos, demolish the school and begin construction as early as spring 2026 if approvals and environmental cleanup proceed on schedule. Heitman said mechanical rooftop equipment would be set back from the perimeter and that the visible elevations would be designed to be sympathetic to nearby homes.

Residents and neighborhood speakers outnumbered supporters during the public comment period. Speakers who identified themselves as neighbors urged the council to deny the rezoning or return it for more study. Common objections included a lack of notice to neighbors, uncertainty about the number and pay of promised jobs, fears about truck traffic using side streets, safety for children, air and noise impacts, and a preference for residential reuse of the former school site.

Terry Martin, president of the Midtown Newark Block Club, said residents had been "uninformed and underinformed" about the project’s evolution since 2022 and that petitioners had not provided specifics on wages or numbers of jobs. Doreen Carey, a nearby resident, told the council the city is preparing a comprehensive plan update and asked the council to let that public planning process inform reuse of former school properties.

Council members said they heard both the need for tax base and jobs and the strength of neighborhood opposition. Councilman Washington (title used in minutes) pressed for further work with planning staff to address Sharp’s five points; Councilman Wissington (as listed) and others said they wanted clearer guarantees and stronger ordinance language before approving any rezone in a residential area. Councilwoman Barnes Caldwell and Councilwoman Brown emphasized the importance of new revenue for city services but also the need for careful protections and conditions.

Rather than vote for immediate approval, the council accepted a motion to withdraw the passage vote and unanimously approved referral back to the Planning & Development Committee so city staff, the petitioners and the plan commission can work through the outstanding technical conditions and draft any ordinance language and site controls the council requires.

The council set the next Planning & Development Committee meeting for Tuesday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m., with a public hearing to follow on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:00 p.m. If the petitioner reaches agreement with staff on the written PUD language and site plan, the council can consider a substitute ordinance at a subsequent meeting.