Gary council adopts unified development ordinance after unanimous vote

The Gary Common Council voted 8-0 to adopt a Unified Development Ordinance, CPO 2026-16, after approving an amendment that sets the ordinance’s effective date as Aug. 1, 2026.

Planning staff and the Planning Commission told the council the UDO combines the city’s zoning ordinance and subdivision control ordinance into a single code intended to clarify development standards. Tom Serra, president of the Planning Commission, commended staff and said the process involved public hearings and parcel-by-parcel review: “They did an amazing job. Every single parcel was considered for this ordinance,” Serra said, noting public input at meetings and events.

The council approved an amendment by substitution before final passage. During a technical question-and-answer period, planning staff recited several new standards that will be part of the code: R-1 as the designation for single-family small-lot detached homes; a minimum lot width of 25 feet; a minimum building size of 900 square feet; minimum side yard standards of 3 feet per side; a front-yard setback of 25 feet; a rear-yard setback of 10 feet; and a gross building floor-area ratio that shall not exceed 40 percent. Staff told the council the new zoning map that aligns with the UDO will be presented separately and the two will be implemented on the same schedule.

Council members praised the staff’s work and the planning process; the roll-call vote to adopt the ordinance was recorded as 8 to 0. The UDO is intended to streamline zoning and development rules and to provide clearer, measurable standards for future building and lot-split requests.

The council also noted the UDO’s alignment with a forthcoming updated zoning map; Planning Commission leaders said the map will be presented to the council on a schedule intended to coincide with the ordinance’s effective date.