17-75 Special Exception 806 Howard Street

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We wonder why the city says that on-street parking on Howard would help to calm traffic. There is a stop sign at Howard/Notre Dame Ave.and there is a stop sign at Howard/St. Louis two blocks to the west. We have not experienced speeding in that two-block area. The odd jerk who revs his motorcycle in that two-block area will not be "calmed" by cars parked on the street. In fact,on-street parking on Howard makes it more difficult to exit from St. Peter onto Howard. If we are trying to exit onto Howard from St. Peter,we have to,first, stop where we are supposed to so that pedestrians can walk across and then creep forward to see beyond the cars that are often parked in front of the Notre Dame Law building on the northwest corner. The difficulty and danger would be doubled if there were significant on- street parking on Howard between St. Peter and Note Dame Ave. It should be noted that,with the reconfiguration of the "Five Corners"—hallelujah—Howard is now part of the Howard-Corby connector,which has become a main east- west thoroughfare in the northern portion of the city. Traffic can be heavy; having to creep forward in one's car becomes more and more problematic. Being in a car and trying to navigate this kind of situation is one thing; being on foot is another.The renovation of Kelly Park,thanks to the generous and able direction of a small group of neighbors, is about to be completed. Even with the renovation not completed, more kids were showing up this summer. Some come from the southeast along St Peter, some come from Notre Dame Ave. We're sure that this foot traffic will increase as the park takes its final shape. And the safety of all of the pedestrians,especially the kids, should be a number-one priority. One wonders,too,about the impact of on-street parking on bicyclists, primarily Notre Dame students and faculty and neighborhood kids, riding along Howard. There are no bike lanes on Howard; on-street parking, especially on both sides of the street will significantly squeeze them,especially on a main thoroughfare. There are many other issues to comment on, but other members of the neighborhood have covered them very well. We would want to take one parting shot—what becomes of the three-story property,with a residence on top,when the potential owners sell and go elsewhere? Will new owners rent out the residential space and to whom? Will they redo the commercial portion of the building into residences and rent it out? Might it be to students,who have been the bane of our neighborhood for a long time? Thank you for your consideration and for the important work you do for the community. Sincerely, Donald and Barbara Sniegowski 3