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South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br />Rescheduled Regular Meeting -August 25, 2006 <br />6. NEW BUSINESS (CONT.) <br />A. Public Hearing <br />() continued... <br />while these people have expressed some <br />concern about the expansion of the Airport <br />Economic Development Area to include <br />Portage Prairie, there seems to have been <br />consensus through the comments that the <br />objection isn't so much related to the <br />expansion of Portage Prairie, but to also <br />consider the inclusion of the LaSalle Square <br />area as a part of the TIF area expansion. <br />There are a couple of other points here. The <br />mission of the Redevelopment Commission <br />came up in at least two or three of the <br />comments opposing this resolution. I would <br />remind people that the mission of the <br />Redevelopment Commission is at least two- <br />fold: It has powers not only to redevelop <br />blighted areas, it also has the ability to <br />designate economic development areas that <br />are not blighted areas. They are designated <br />to create new business opportunities, new <br />investment, new jobs and provide other <br />benefits to the communities. So economic <br />development areas are a part of the <br />Commission's mission. <br />I would also point out that we've been <br />focusing on just the Airport Economic <br />Development Area, which is one of many <br />development areas that the City of South <br />Bend's Redevelopment Commission has <br />under its jurisdiction. West Washington is a <br />separate redevelopment area, it is a TIF area, <br />it is in the inner city, and there have been <br />significant activities that have been <br />undertaken there to get rid of blight, to create <br />42 <br />