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REGULAR MEETING JULY 9, 2007 <br />return for the developer and perhaps for the University. The Council as custodians of the <br />public interest the Council should not be cooperating with this kind of activity. The <br />developer has tried to squeeze as much revenue producing development in the area as <br />possible. He was certain that if he was a member of the Council to make sure that the <br />developer justifies this scale of the development. He doesn't think that it is necessary or <br />desirable. It is not compatible with the development on campus, if Notre Dame were <br />built at that scale the whole campus would take up '/4 of the land that it now occupies. <br />What is good living for the campus of Notre Dame should apply also to <br />commerciaUresidential development off campus. South Bend has so many vacant <br />commercial and residential properties that it would allow a development to built that are <br />so concentrated. Manhattan, the Bronx, Chicago, land is scarce and you have to build up, <br />and build concentrated because there is no land there is no space. To do this in the City <br />of South Bend, Indiana, makes no sense whatsoever! All the talk about New Urbanism is <br />a lot of nonsense. This is simply the old fashion economic exploitation, the almighty <br />dollar for both the University and the developer getting as much money out of this <br />development as possible. There seems to very or little concern for the aesthetics the long <br />term sustainability of the development or the good of the community as whole. This <br />development is not going to be economically successful at this scale. This community <br />cannot sustain that kind of development without sacrificing other areas of the community. <br />Mr. Scott Van Jacob, 1114 Stanfield, South Bend, Indiana, thanked the Council for the <br />opportunity to speak tonight. Mr. Van Jacob stated that he lives in the Harter Heights <br />Neighborhood and stated that many of the people who spoke tonight are colleagues and <br />neighbors who now live in the new homes that are being built along Notre Dame Avenue <br />and it is his understanding that when they want to sell they have to first ask Notre Dame <br />if they want to buy them. Mr. Van Jacob stated that is a great safety net to have, the rest <br />of the neighborhood does not have that luxury incase this project isn't a success. He <br />stated that he thinks that the development should be successful as it is set up, but with <br />that success will come the real issues like traffic and changing the nature of that whole <br />area and the neighborhood. The 200 million dollar number that has been bounced around <br />is an incredible number. This project is bigger than the new stadium, the dome and the <br />new science building all put altogether. There are unanswered questions about, police, <br />fire and emergency protection. He questioned if there will be future tax breaks given to <br />this project. <br />Ms. Joey Wiseman, 306 E. Angela, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she chooses to live in <br />an urban environment. She lived in inner-city Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, and <br />when she decided to come back to the South Bend Area she chose the northeast <br />neighborhood for a lot of reasons. She stated that she has some concerns over the details <br />of the project. The development is going to change some of the vary aspects that drew <br />her to it. When she was at school and lived in Milwaukee, she lived by an inner-city <br />campus with the City all around them. There were some questionable neighborhoods and <br />the University undertook a program while she was there and shortly after she left to build <br />up and renew the area surrounding campus. The goal was to be a bridge from the inner- <br />city itself to the campus to make things more unified. She went back several times <br />afterwards and all she found was a wall to basically protect the campus from the City. <br />All of the local businesses that had been there were pushed out further and what was left <br />was nice new three, four and five story buildings just like what is being developed here <br />with this project. They employed students; there was no benefit to the community <br />surrounding it. She really felt that same feeling when she heard the developer speak <br />tonight. You can't raise a family working part-time at a bakery or a coffee house or an <br />internet cafe. The jobs will be designed for college students and the apartments that are <br />going to be built are going to be student apartments just like a lot of the homes in her <br />neighborhood have become. She reiterated the fact that the City has an ordinance that <br />only allows two unrelated family members in a home, but everyone knows that in so <br />many of the homes that is not the case in their neighborhood. Ms. Wiseman urged the <br />Council not to make a decision rapidly based on fear. The idea of if we don't do it now it <br />will never happen is a poor reason to make a decision on something that is so important <br />and make such a great economic and social attribute for the city, but could also be a real <br />detriment. She encourages the Council to take their time and continue to ask questions <br />and get all the information to make the best decision possible. <br />33 <br />