17-75 Special Exception 806 Howard Street

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Carolyn Henry From: Tom Guinan <thomas.guinan @comcast.net> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 5:13 AM To: Carolyn Henry Subject: Opposition to expansion of 806 Howard St and addition of third story residential City of South Bend Area Board of Zoning Appeals Attn: Carolyn Henry Dear Ms. Henry: I am writing to express my opposition to the planned expansion and change of use of the property located at 806 Howard Street,South Bend, Indiana 46617. My wife and I live at 915 N. Notre Dame Ave.Our house is 3 lots south and 1 lot east of the property in question.We have lived at our current address for nearly 11 years.We believe the property at 806 Howard St. has been an incongruent presence in the neighborhood—both in terms of its architecture and its "purpose"—since even before we built our home as part of the NE Neighborhood redevelopment program. It appears since the sale of the building several months ago, it has sat vacant. While any improvement to the exterior design of 806 Howard would be welcome,the proposed increase in height from 28.5 ft.to 46ft.and the change of use as a combined residential/office building will make an already out of place structure even more so, regardless of the nature of any exterior improvements.As a property owner within the "appeal area" I would like to register my formal opposition to the planned expansion and change of use for the property at 806 Howard St.for the following reasons: 1. The proposed and expansion use will adversely affect the adjacent area or property values therein and the proposed use will be inconsistent with the character of the district in which it is located and the land uses otherwise authorized therein. A mixed office/residential building at such a height is completely out of scale in this residential neighborhood. It will negatively impact the property values of the homes immediately adjacent to it and will have a negative impact on the value of the homes in the appeal area. This negative impact will arise not only from the mere presence of the structure but also from the increased congestion and parking requirements resulting from the expanded business activity in the building. 2. The proposed use will injurious to the public health, safety, comfort, community moral standards, convenience or general welfare. It should be noted that the intersection of Howard St. and Notre Dame Ave. is an extremely busy 4-way-stop intersection.This is particularly the case on weekdays between 7- 8AM and 5-6PM.The requested variance to reduce the required off-street parking from 35 spaces to 4 spaces seems to be the exact opposite of what will be required to ensure that those living and working in the facility would not otherwise be parking on Howard St. right at the Notre Dame Ave. intersection—thus limiting visibility and adding to the congestion—and also along the already limited parking spaces in front of residences on Notre Dame Ave. and St. Peter St. Again, any improvement to the exterior of 806 Howard St.that would be keep the facility within its current scale would be welcome—as would suitable retail or office activity for which the building was originally zoned. While the appeal to potential residents of an additional floor w/essentially unobstructed views of the Golden Dome is obvious, those who have invested in this neighborhood, many of whom have lived here for over a decade, would be significantly and negatively impacted for the reasons noted above.While my opposition to the current expansion and change of use plans is firm, I would welcome the opportunity to join with my neighbors and the property owners to see if other plans might be more acceptable to all parties. 1