Gary Indiana - University Park

Create A Sense Of Arrival And Identity

There are key intersections in the University Park and Glen Park neighborhood that are highly visible because of the number of people who use them to access the neighborhood, or who pass through them on the way to somewhere else. For many, these intersections may be the only place they stop in the neighborhood. Their appearance is critical to the image and identity of University Park in the region.

Key intersections are located at:

• Grant Street and 35th Avenue Broadway and 35th Avenue
• Martin Luther King Drive and 35th Avenue
• Grant Street and Ridge Road
• Broadway and Ridge Road
• Martin Luther King Drive and Ridge Road
• University Park has features that give it a sense of arrival identity. The IUN Campus is an example of this.

To build on this, the following principles are encouraged at key intersections:

• Installation of landmark features such as community markers, signage and / or sculptures
• Development of landmark buildings Higher density buildings than else where in the neighborhood
• Improved streetscaping to include sidewalks and crosswalks, street furniture, street lights
• High quality landscaping, street trees and small plazas Surface parking lots should not occupy these highly visible locations.

The streetscaping of the following streets is also encouraged:

• 33rd Avenue east of Broadway
• 35th Avenue from Grant Street to I-65
• Ridge Road from Grant Street to Martin Luther King Street

Broadway Streetscaping should include:

• Completion of curbs, gutters, storm sewers, sidewalks and cross walks
• Installation of decorative, pedestrian- scaled street lights
• Creation of pedestrian-friendly spaces suitable to either commercial or residential streets.

Create A High Quality Framework Of Open Space

Open space adjacent to University Park is a tremendous asset that could be put to full effect in its campaign to bring new residents, shoppers, workers, students and visitors to the neighborhood.

The following recommendations are aimed at creating a network of open spaces that can be used by all members of the community.

1. Implement the Little Calumet Bike Trail along the Little Calumet River Corridor, linking University Park to other regional open space assets.
2. Treat neighborhood streets as an opportunity for landscape improvements and strong places for walking, jogging and cycling.
3. Connect the neighborhood to regional open space to the north through walking trails and by extending neighborhood streets or pedestrian paths north of 33rd Avenue.
4. Create a community park at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
5. Create smaller community gardens and ‘tot’ lots on vacant lots within the residential neighborhood.
6. Create links to existing Lake County parks at Lake Etta at 24th Avenue and Clark Road and to Three Rivers Park at Colorado and Central Avenue
7. Improve the amenities within Gleason Park.
8. Explore opportunities for an ecological resource center that would combine a Boulevard Gardens, a nature center, a wetlands study center and a teaching facility as regional attraction