04-09-18 Zoning and Annexation - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK about those areas between the nodes. It is important to support and enhance the existing nodes. It is equally important to ensure that development does not creep into the zones that are, and should be, predominantly residential between the nodes. Where current uses are consistent with policy, the existing dawning should be enforced and changes of zoning to individual parcels should not be permitted. In addition,the zoning should create incentives to change from commercial use to a residential use while providing the incentive of higher density residential uses. In this particular plan, it is not only talking about protecting those areas between the nodes but it is also talking about higher density uses for those residential properties that are between the nodes such as those multi-family developments considered in your December 2017 housing study. Mr.Nussbaum went on,The long and short of that is that we believe,as the Area Plan Commission staff believes that this particular parcel at 3527 Lincoln Way West that is being rezoned from residential to Office Buffer, is exactly what the Zoning Ordinance as well as this West Side Plan meets. This particular plan will take up a currently residential home,renovate it at a cost more than $500,000, and it will continue to keep the residential nature of the home in place. As mentioned, many thousands of babies born each year are babies of clients who have seen counselors at the Women's Care Center. One third(1/3) of those babies come from the 46619 and 46628 zip codes. There was real concerted effort to try and locate this new venue in an area where women would otherwise be visiting the Whole Women's Health facility which will be right next door. It is not unlike seeing the other businesses along the Lincoln Way West corridor. There are at least three (3) or four (4) fast food restaurants, gas station, hotels, and they are all located very strategically. Part of the issues that have arisen in this situation are because the Whole Women's Health has a different perspective on women's reproductive rights than the Women's Care Center does. Many worry there will be problems with conflict. We are here to tell you this evening that our record with regard to that is outstanding. We believe there will not be any conflict as it relates to our location to the Whole Women's Care Alliance. That particular facility hasn't opened yet because it has some licensing issues it is dealing with down State. We have not had anything to do with that. We haven't lobbied that the license be withheld. We have been totally out of that mix. We anticipate they will, eventually, be able to obtain that license and at some point and time will be able to offer services that are legally available to women in the United States of America. We are not here to argue that. We are not here to prevent women from making the kinds of choices they wish to make. We are here to give women the opportunity to make a choice one(1)way or another with regard to their reproductive rights. There are twenty-two (22) other locations throughout the country that a facility such as Planned Parenthood and our facility are located next to each other. Sometimes it is very hard to prove a negative but if you research the record carefully,you will find there haven't been any issues with regard to our location being next to theirs. Mr.Nussbaum continued,There was some concern that we might have overpaid for our property. We don't believe we did. We paid what we thought we wanted to pay. We probably paid premium because we thought it was a perfect location for us. We were actually bidding against another individual who was also of a certain political mind who takes a much more aggressive stance, as it relates to right to life issues, who wanted to use this property as a staging area for the kinds of protests that you are concerned about. That is not what we are up to and we don't want that to happen because that is not good for the women. We have made a written commitment that we would not allow any protests to occur on our property against anyone. That is not good for our women that use our facility or the women that would use the facility next door. We are willing to put that in writing.That is a very significant offer. I'm not sure that anyone has even made an offer to this Council that they would waive their First Amendment rights to ban protests for their EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 lf574.235.9173 TfD574.235.5567 1www.southbendin.gov 5