17-75 Special Exception 806 Howard Street

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.110 December 5, 2017 Dear Ms. Henry, Please pass along our concerns to the Area Board of Zoning Appeals. We are Dan & Kate Kelly of 1011 N. Notre Dame Avenue and are within 300 feet of 806 Howard Street. We are writing to oppose the special exception and variances requested by Alliance Architects on behalf of Pandora Partners, LLC. The building's appearance, size,and use as a large office space are already out of place for this residential neighborhood. The requested alterations would further separate this building from all the others. Taking a 2-story office building and making it 3 stories—with a significant increase in the height of an already large and bulky building(from approximately 28.5 feet to 46 feet)— not only would make a bigger and taller structure, but would harm the aesthetics of the neighborhood and the property values of the surrounding homes. The expanded building size would dwarf nearby homes; permanently alter the character and sight lines of the community; and decrease access to sunlight for neighbors, while increasing noise and light pollution. In addition,the variances requested with regard to parking would increase on-street congestion and parking issues and decrease pedestrian and motorist safety. This is problematic because, at present,Howard Street is incredibly busy and dangerous (with one neighbor describing it as the "Indy 500"). Many children, including our own,cross the street and walk by this building to access Kelly Park. We have significant safety concerns that the parking and setback variances would reduce sight lines, increase congestion, and make the walk to Kelly Park for children unsafe. It may make an intersection without a stop sign (Howard & St. Peter's),where one of our children and one of us were nearly struck by a vehicle this summer, even more dangerous. Neighbors seem uniform in opposing the proposed changes. Dozens of homeowners in the immediate vicinity view it as a bad idea and are actively opposing it. In our view,efforts to improve or change the external appearance of this structure are laudable. But adding a 3rd floor to an already oversized building, dramatically decreasing setbacks(including a setback of 0' on the east side),and creating additional parking and safety issues on an already busy street and at a dangerous intersection are problematic and not in the best interests of the community. The proposed changes do not appear to satisfy any of the standards for approval. The proposed use would harm public health, safety, comfort, etc.;adversely affect adjacent areas and property values; be inconsistent with the character of the district and the existing land uses; and be incompatible with the City of South Bend's comprehensive plan,as well as the many efforts by and on behalf of homeowners, both longstanding and new,to redevelop this area over the past two decades. An even larger office building,with reduced setbacks and less off-street parking, is not consistent with the interests of the neighborhood or the surrounding homeowners. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Katherine O. Kelly& Daniel B. Kelly