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South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br />Regular Meeting –October 15, 2010 <br /> <br />6. NEW BUSINESS (CONT.) <br /> <br />C. South Bend Central Development Area <br /> <br /> <br />(6) Approval of Michigan Street Shops <br />Holiday Retail Program. <br /> <br />Mr. Inks noted that these are challenging <br />times to lease retail space. The Holiday <br />Retail Program is an attempt to be creative <br />about doing so. <br /> <br />Mr. Mariani explained that Downtown South <br />Bend met with Michigan Street shop owners <br />and members of the real estate community <br />about how to improve the real estate <br />environment downtown. They came up with <br />a proposal for “pop-up shops”: the idea of <br />leveraging our holiday foot traffic in <br />November and December to bring focus to <br />our available retail spaces and to mine some <br />prospects for these retail spaces. The idea <br />has been tried successfully in some other <br />downtowns. Our downtown merchants really <br />liked the idea. They’d like to have some <br />neighbors. We recognize there will be <br />challenges for the Legal Department to <br />address about how to memorialize the <br />relationship of this “free space.” Downtown <br />South Bend and city staff feel the idea is <br />aggressive, business friendly and is what is <br />needed right now to build the economy back <br />up. <br /> <br />Mr. Downes said he thinks this is a great <br />idea. He asked if the intent would be to <br />actually write leases with no rent. Mr. <br />Mariani said he would talk to Mr. Meteiver <br />to discuss whether a lease is the vehicle, or a <br />memorandum of understanding. <br /> <br />Mr. Downes wanted to be sure tenants would <br /> 14 <br /> <br />