07/16/07 Council Special Meeting Minutes

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SPECIAL MEETING JULY 16, 2007 efforts. It is also expected that the Tax Increment will be used for the five-points project a second area of historic concerns of the residents of the northeast neighborhood. Because of its location this project has the potential for providing employment opportunities both during construction and upon its completion for residents of the immediate neighborhood as well as for inner-city residents using public transportation. They urge Kite Realty to make a written commitment to promote the hiring of local residents and particularly minority employees. Other benefits to the community that they urge Kite to address in writing are a pledge to use contractors that will pay construction workers a prevailing wage level, a pledge to use contractors that maintain a written affirmative action plan that conforms to those required of federal contractors as specified in executive order 11246 and the federal code of regulations, and third a commitment to construction that meets energy efficient building standards at the silver level or higher as prescribed by the U. S. Green Building Council's current leadership in energy and environmental design LEED rating system. The Eddy Street Common's plan they defer to the residence of the area. They are respectful of the role of the NENC and of the process that has taken place among members of the NNRO. They applaud the development process that has included stake holders at the table and continue to keep community representatives involved in the decisions that will be made as the project is developed. Jobs that will be created by the proposed hotels, retail establishments and offices should be good jobs, paying self- sufficient wages and provided health and retirement benefits for employees. Green space should be maximized with input from residents as to the location and use of unpaved areas. Only continued community involvement will insure the Eddy Street Common will improve the city by increasing living standards and opportunity for area residents. Ms. Christine Fiordalis, 1705 Wall St. South Bend, Indiana, stated that she is speaking tonight in her capacity as President of the Sierra Club, a Michiana Group located in Northern Indiana and includes St. Joseph County and which there are several hundreds of members. Frankly, she stated that she was unsure of whether she was going to be speaking on the pro or con side of this issue. She was heartened to hear Mr. Compton speak to environmental green building techniques. She stated that she has spoken to the Council before in terms of the LEED standards. The Leadership Energy Environmental Design Standards of the U. S. Green Building Council. Ms. Fiordalis stated that she spoke regarding tax abatement reform and sent material in January 2007, referencing the LEED Program and how it works and how it can be an advantage to a community. This is the Council's opportunity to be a leader. There are 600 mayors of Cities across the United States that are signing onto this kind of thing. Environmental standards are no longer the province of the radical few on the outside. It is a matter of really life and death how our communities either survive in the stress of environmental challenges or how they don't. She encouraged the Council to take the lead in the sense of requiring that this project meet LEED standards. The silver level has been suggested, she suggested the gold standard. They are four standards in LEED, certified, silver, gold, and platinum. She thinks that this project deserves gold standard. Notre Dame has shown that they are very proud of their state-of--the art buildings, it commitment to its community both on the campus and outside. This is an opportunity for them to show that. The reason that she would like to make this a formal idea is that the Council would be showing their commitment to this kind of green building. Understand that she is not just talking about trees and flowers, but how water is used and maintained. Talking about the way materials are being recycled and used in the building process. How the buildings are maintained after they are constructed. So this is an ongoing commitment that she believes is long overdue actually for South Bend. Mr. Fiordalis stated that she has talked to individual Councilmember'sregnrding green buildings in the past and have always stated to do the right thing; this is the opportunity to put it in writing to show the citizens of South Bend that the Council has a strong commitment to this kind of erilightened thinking. Now is the time to have this kind of environmental step up to the plate and do the right thing, not only for the City of South Bend, but also for the State of Indiana, that the South Bend Common Council is setting an example here of what the citizens expect the cities and communities of the future to look like. Ms. Irene Cour, 1024 Napoleon Blvd., South Bend, Indiana, stated that she and her husband are members of the Northeast Neighborhood Association and have been members since 1996. She stated that she and her husband have signed the petition in 12