06-13-11 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JUNE 13, 2011 just because they fall into some specific category. He stated that Mr. Bumbaca proposes to do is join the homes as was presented at the Board of Zoning Appeals and there were blueprints for that construction showing the setbacks for the properties, a picture of what the properties were going to look like. Mr. Agostino stated that this matter has been continued a couple of times so that Mr. Bumbaca could gather that further information to show what the property is going to be and has shown that information at the prior committee meeting levels. The neighborhood is located off of South Bend Avenue, and there are two houses on that street that are Chicago Style Townhouses and Garden stnd Apartments, 1 Floor and 2 Floor and Three Story monstrosities that don’t fit with the neighborhood aesthetically. Mr. Agostino reiterated the two on South Bend Avenue and one on the corner of South Bend Avenue and St. Peter St., and one on Sunnyside. He stated that if the Council would permit they would like to file this information with the City Clerk and pass around to Council for their review. He stated that the information that is being presented is in the same location in the near northeast neighborhood. He asked the Council for their favorable support. Mr. Agostino stated that the area is rental properties and reiterated that Mr. Bumbaca is a private investor using private dollars to beautify this area. A Public Hearing was held on the Resolution at this time. There was no one present wishing to speak in favor. The following individuals spoke in opposition to the bill. Noreen Dean-Moran, 716 W. Colfax, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in opposition to this bill. She advised that she does not live in that neighborhood, but lives in a neighborhood which suffers the same kinds of attempts by landlords to increase their profit. She stated that she doesn’t have anything against a profit, but against the fact that most of the people are landlords in an area in which they don’t mind it. This is the reason she is against it. The neighborhood only becomes a someplace for them to make a profit. The three monstrosities that Mr. Agostino mentioned earlier, she is in complete agreement that they are just that. They got to be there only because the city did not realize that that area around South Bend Avenue had been from the 1930’s commercial. So the building of those monstrosities which was against every height and width and so forth was seen first as a possible improvement, that is not the case those houses look ridiculous and that is not a reason that they look ridiculous that Mr. Bumbaca should be able to put two separate houses together. She stated that she does not know where the extra square footage comes from, it may be configured differently, but if you put two 1,500 square foot house together it still only comes out to 3,000 square feet. She stated that she likes students very much, she teaches them. They are presently residence, they are not citizens it would not happen in their own neighborhoods where they come from and they can live like the rest of the people they do not have to live like they used to with Mr. Kramer’s houses of 10, 12, 15 people living there, so that the landlord can make close to $10,000 a month. She reiterated again that she does not live in this area, she lives on the near west side but they have the same kind of thing going on. She stated that the near north east cooperative has done a lot of work and this is exactly in the opposite direction. Mr. Bill Stentz, 1020 E. Colfax, South Bend, Indiana, spoke in opposition to this bill. Mr. Stenz stated that he is the President of the North East Neighborhood Council (NENC), and on the Board of the Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization (NNRO). He stated that this is just a bad idea. He stated that when this proposal was presented at the Area Plan Commission, both the NNRO and the NENC were very much against it. Mr. Stentz reiterated that this was given a unanimous unfavorable recommendation. He stated that these two homes on Mr. Bumbaca’s website for rentals for student housing both indicate that they are five bedroom houses for rent to students. So now there would be 10 bedrooms for 10 students on lots on 33 or 34 feet wide and possibly 10 cars. He stated that he wasn’t sure what the plan was for the second floor of these homes and could possibly get another one or two bedrooms upstairs. He stated that is just too many people, too dense and a bad idea. 34