Laserfiche WebLink
REGULAR MEETING JULY 9, 2007 <br />is going to look like. This may address such questions as what is the fagade going to look <br />like? This is the check and balance process, to make sure what you see tonight is what <br />you are going to get with the final product. <br />Councilmember Kelly stated that his concerns are those of the neighbors, in that this <br />project keeps changing in size. Councilmember Kelly stated that his concerns are two- <br />fold, the viability of the neighborhood as it exists and the viability of the downtown. <br />There has to be a tipping point at some point, where either the development won't work <br />because it is too big or it is going to start drawing business from the downtown area. <br />Mr. Compton stated that there goal for the downtown is to draw people back. It seems <br />like there is great deal of people going to the Grape Road area, there is a million square <br />feet of retail in the mall. There is also 3 million square feet around the mall. So they <br />honestly believe that they are bringing people back to downtown South Bend. This <br />project is the midway point between the two. <br />Councilmember Kirsits asked if they are going to charge to use the parking garage. He <br />stated that people don't like to have to pay to park. This is true downtown, if people are <br />going to spend money, they want to be able to zip in and zip out. That is why strip malls <br />are so popular. <br />Mr. Compton stated that what he envisions, but they have not firmed it up yet, but they <br />will try to have a decision for the July 16, 2007 Special Meeting, but what they like is an <br />hour of free time, just because you want people to come to have a bite to eat, but they <br />don't want them parking there all day. Additionally, there may be two hours of free <br />parking within the garage itself Right now they have allocated retail space parking on <br />the first floor, they want to make it convenient for those people. They are working with <br />Walker Parking Consultants on this issue and will have more detail on July 16, 2007. <br />Councilmember Kirsits stated that as a South Bend Firefighter that he would be remiss <br />that a two hour fire wall is easily hold up in his personal opinion for about fifteen minutes <br />in a burning structure. He would like to see the entire project sprinkled. He believes that <br />this issue is critical and he if fully aware that this would add to the project cost, but in the <br />long term it would be a very good idea. With regard to written commitments on the hotel <br />size, a written commitment on the height of the comer buildings, a written commitment <br />on the buffers and also a written commitment on a park, is there a way to make all these <br />commitments without having to go back to the Area Plan Commission. <br />Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand stated that she has had a discussion with Mr. Byorni, Director <br />of the Area Plan Commission, this morning and they both agree that the term written <br />commitments that the Council is used to and what they would be using under the PUD <br />state law would be conditions of the PITD. It would be where the developer would be <br />committing to those conditions. So they would be studying everything that comes out of <br />the Zoning and Annexation Committee that would be made as far as a recommendation <br />as well as commitments that are being made verbally today, the verbal commitments that <br />were made at the Area Plan Commission Meeting. They would then get all those in <br />writing by the developer and the Council and would all have to be worked out prior to the <br />final action by the Council next Monday, July 16, 2007. Again, they would be conditions <br />of the PUD that would have legal effect. <br />Councilmember Varner stated that he had one comment for the sake of clarification, once <br />the Planned United Development, (PUD) is established, if minor changes need to be <br />made for this variance or that variance who is the oversight authority that exists, it is not <br />the Council, who exactly is it and what is their authority with regard to the conditions and <br />commitments. <br />Mr. Robert Nemeth, Staff Planner, Area Plan Commission, stated that the PUD <br />Development District is unique because what it does is the development standards that <br />they set when it is rezoned to PUD it sets a maximum amount, such as density or height <br />for example. So if the developer wants to go less than than, than they can go less, but as <br />soon as they want to increase it beyond the maximum that they set, then they have to <br />19 <br />