07/16/07 Council Special Meeting Minutes

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SPECIAL MEETING JULY 16, 2007 favor of the Eddy Street Commons and are certainly behind the proposal as it stands before the Council tonight. They feel that this project is a big plus for the neighborhood and should go forward tonight. Mr. Matthew Costello, 120 N. Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he is speaking in favor of the Eddy Street Commons proposal. Mr. Costello stated that he wanted the Council to keep in mind that there should be some discretion that should be left to the private property owner. Especially when it involves someone who wants to better the community, a little deference is needed. He stated that when he attended the University of Notre Dame, it kind of burned him up when his fellow students made derogatory comments about South Bend. He thinks that a lot of people in the Notre Dame Community left with a negative feeling that Notre Dame wasn't a good town. He thinks because of some of the poverty and dilapidated housing in the neighborhood. The Eddy Street Commons is going to help people that come to Notre Dame and have a very good impression of South Bend and when they leave they will have a good feeling about the City. Hardie Blake, 144 N. Summit, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he is the Pastor of the Ardmore-LaSalle Church of Christ, President of Bethel Business Machines, Redevelopment Commissioner, Founder of the Organization Men of Scars and Project Impact of South Bend, Regional Director, Ivy Tech State College, and tonight is speaking in his pastor capacity. His involvement in the Community is by the grace of God and the love of God and the love of people. Because God has given him a gift of compassion, he believes that whatever you do in word or deed, you should do it to the Glory of God and the edification of people. Every gift that God has given to us as individuals has been given to us for the common good of all. He stated that we are to use our gifts for common good of all the people of the community, rich, poor, red, yellow, black, white or brown, it's all for the common good. He believes that the Eddy St. Commons Development is for the common good of all. It may not meet all of our individual needs, our wants or desires, but it will serve for the common good of us all. Einstein said "You can never solve the significant problems of the day at the same level of thinking you had when you created the problem" What he was saying is that without raising our level of thinking we cannot change things. There are only three levels of thinking. Keep thinking the same way we have always thought and keep getting the same thing we have always gotten. We can lower our level of thinking and things will get worse or we can raise our level of thinking and fmd solutions to the problems. With anything new comes the possibility of new problems, but all new problems don't have to been bad problems. He believes that the Eddy Street Common Project can also be an answer to some of our old bad problems. Many of our bad problems especially in the neighborhoods that he tends to focus his attention on; one of the major issues is jobs. Jobs are the answer to drugs, crime, violence and all kinds of other things are bad problems within the community that the Eddy Street Commons can help. Mr. Blake stated that Mr. Compton and Mr. Byrd were very proactive in requesting from him that he would give them a list of minority business contractors and businesses that would be interested in participating in the project. He stated that he hasn't had but one other major private corporation in South Bend or the State of Indiana, that have requested him to give a list of minority businesses at all. Kite has done so, and he requested the Council to vote favorably with regard to this development and do it tonight. Ms. Beth Sanford, 1013 N. St. Peter Street, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she grew up in the Sunnymede area and remembers when she was a child taking the bus to downtown to shop. She stated that she went away to College and having come back she has noticed a slow exodus out of South Bend. This has created a slow death to the City of South Bend. This new development is a unique opportunity for the City to regain life. She has always desired to walk her children to the grocery as she grew up walking to Bamber's Market on Mishawaka Avenue. She stated that she thinks this project is going to be a catalyst for the Eddy Street Corridor to be able to clean up the area all the way to LaSalle Street. This project will have an impact on the SR 23 project and five point's area. She stated that she has had four children in the time span that they have just been talking about improving the area, and the youngest is two years old. She stated that she is not planning on having any more children and would like to see this happen in her lifetime. 13