Penelope Love has lived in Gary’s Aetna neighborhood for about 12 years, and she’s worked to improve and enhance the appearance and safety of the community.
On Thursday, Love was overjoyed to see the city of Gary celebrate its commitment to improve Aetna as well.
“We don’t mind sharing Aetna at all,” said Love, who’s also CEO of the Aetna Manor Revitalization Program. “I’m thrilled to see what they’ve done, and hopefully, they’ll do some other big projects in our community.”
Gary officials and residents celebrated the completion of the first newly constructed single-family home in the Aetna neighborhood in decades. The home, which is at 5544 E. 10th Avenue, is listed for $265,000 and has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.
The single-family structure is part of 15 planned homes that will feature ranch-style and two-story options, modern amenities and new construction. All homes will be built on slab without basements.
Christopher Harris, the city’s executive director of redevelopment, said Thursday’s ribbon cutting has “been a long time coming,” adding that the process for the first newly constructed Aetna home began about one year ago.
The Gary Redevelopment Commission opened a Requests for Proposals process in 2024, with the home proposal selected during a June 5, 2024, meeting.
“For the last two years, we’ve had unsafe buildings here in the Aetna neighborhood, and with the support of contractors who believe in Gary, they cleared the way for something that we’ve been wanting for quite some time,” Harris said.
Harris expects that the 14 remaining homes that the city will construct will be complete within the next year. The redevelopment commission is also prepared for 12 acres of mixed use retail development near Aetna, Harris said.
“Aetna is a blueprint,” Harris said. “We’re doing this neighborhood by neighborhood, one at a time, removing the blight and encouraging investment and construction.”
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Local real estate professionals Frederick Long and Laneé Nicole helped spearhead the development. On Thursday, Nicole said she’s grateful for the opportunity.
Nicole is an Aetna resident and said she’s excited for what the neighborhood’s future holds.
Long said he’s very appreciative of the support Gary officials and residents have given the project.
“I’m from Gary,” Long said. “To come back to the city and be able to make an impact is very exciting.”
The home has “a lot of character,” Long said, including white stained floors and new appliances.
According to Post-Tribune archives, the home was expected to be complete near the end of July.
The home construction is part of Gary’s initiative to remove blighted structures throughout the city. Gary officials began the second phase of the Aetna demolition in March, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton previously said that the Aetna neighborhood offers many opportunities for residents and future homeowners, including proximity to the South Shore Line’s Miller train station, a Gary Public Transportation Corporation route and major highways, including Interstates 65, 94, 90 and 80. Melton was not present at Thursday’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
Love said Thursday that she hopes more people will love the Aetna neighborhood as much as she does.
“It’s a charming community,” she added. “We’re about a two-mile square, and we’ve had this opportunity coming for the longest, but just to see this wonderful opportunity coming into fruition is amazing.”