04-09-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING April 9, 2018 don't see anything there is to have a debate about. Women's Care Center has developed their properties well, they've maintained them and they've been protest-free. We've spent a lot of time on this tonight and I hope that in hearing this testimony you have heard from people, you would take into account those 1,390 women in the 46628 and 46619 who use these services. I do appreciate the concern about the care for the people in the Chapin Street neighborhood but they will continue to have access, too, whether it be at Notre Dame Avenue or at this new location. I strongly encourage you to support Women's Care Center in this because it makes perfect sense. Michelle Fodrocy, 3601 Lincoln Way West, South Bend, IN, stated, You heard from my husband earlier. I have the same views but I would like to discuss my views as a woman. I have two (2) boys and not being raised here, I was raised down South, we didn't have a lot of pre-natal care or as many of the opportunities that South Bend has to offer. When we had our boys, my mom had passed away and I didn't know of the services that were even offered. When we took over my husband's grandma's house, you get to know families and friends in the neighborhoods behind you, across the street by St. Johns and Beacon Heights, and you hear about the moms that can't go to the doctor as they rely on the Medicaid transportation and it is not accurate. They wind up to their appointments late and end up not being seen. Having our neighbor be the Women's Care Center would be a great asset because it is right there. It is visible and there are so many women who are on the fence about whether or not to keep their baby and who will be there to support them. Diapers are crazy expensive and you really feel like you're all alone. If I would have had the Women's Care Center, I think it would have been a great weight lifted off me as it would have provided someone to talk to about the issues I had and give me advice on how to help myself. I urge you to take on the Women's Care Center and let them make home right next to us. They would be a great asset to our community. Anne Manion,360 N.Notre Dame Avenue, South Bend,IN,stated,I am the President of Women's Care Center. First, I want to thank you all for your patient listening to all of the people that came to support us tom. We really appreciate it. I also want to say that I've learned some things tonight and I do appreciate the concerns of the Council and I think that we can keep our Chapin Street Center for two (2) days a week to accommodate the people without transportation. I wanted to add that into the mix if that would be helpful. Again,thank you so much. At 9:17 p.m., Councilmember Tim Scott made a motion for recess. Councilmember Oliver Davis seconded this motion which carried unanimously by a voice vote of nine (9) ayes. Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend reconvened in the Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the County-City building at 9:26 p.m. Committee of the Whole Chair Gavin Ferlic presided with nine (9)members present. Marcy Bauer, 1426 Wayne Street, South Bend,IN,stated, Good evening,members of the Common Council. I've been really impressed with the testimony we have heard from the other side and I want to acknowledge the wonderful work of the Women's Care Center.It is great and it is a service to our community, but I am here to talk about zoning. Specifically, the rezoning of the property located at 3527 Lincoln Way West from residential to commercial. I want to talk about zoning and the way it works regardless of whether we are talking about rezoning of Women's Care Center or a Laundromat. It is still zoning. I am an urban planner and have a Master's Degree in Urban Planning, I've worked for the Area Plan Commission and the South Bend Redevelopment Commission and so I know a little something about zoning and its impact. I have also taught urban planning at IUSB as an adjunct instructor for a number of years.Zoning is a right that is established by the United States Supreme Court that allows local governments to regulate the height,bulk and use of public private property. The underlying purpose of zoning, and this is what is most important, is to protect the health and safety of the public. I would submit that rezoning this property does nothing to project the neighboring resident's health and safety. In fact, it may have the potential to harm it. The Commercial Corridor Plan that we have heard about for Lincoln Way West includes residential breaks along the corridor of commercial properties. The property in question, I originally thought, might be in one (1) of the residential zones because it is very hard to read the plan online. I guess as somebody who is familiar with land-use, I question why that was done when clearly that zone is very narrow and the present use is residential. So if you are trying to look for conformance with a Master Plan,that zoning is considered as a part of it. So,the current residential use is still part of the Master Plan. But, back to the concept of the Commercial Corridor Plans,what they talk about is having these series of nodes with residential uses in between and they say that is a more desirable pattern of development than purely straight commercial all 18