08-22-11 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 22, 2011 contributed to where we are now. He stated that Neighborhood Housing Services back 20 years ago started this process of defining the neighborhood. Through the NNRO efforts and Notre Dame’s housing program. Mr. Stenz stated that the neighborhood has changed quite a lot. He stated that they have seen some smart growth and also seen some inconsistent housing go up in the form of for lack of a better word, the believed that they are labeled as multi-family, but basically eight (8) bedroom group homes that is how they are used. This overlay would prevent that from happening or at least make more compatible with the neighboring houses. Marguerite Taylor, 714 Corby, South Bend, Indiana, Officer of the NNRO, Officer of the NENC. Ms. Taylor stated that she would like to give Councilmember Henry Davis a tour of the neighborhood. She stated that they have tons of Habitat for Humanity housing in their neighborhood. She stated that on North Frances Street, 737 to be exact, they built a Habitat house that doesn’t look like a habitat house, it actually looks like a four-square, but for more than 30 years they had not had one new house built in the Northeast Neighborhood. Not one private developer built a house in the Northeast Neighborhood and they through the city efforts, the NNRO, the Northeast Neighborhood Council, which is the oldest neighborhood organization still meeting within the City. She stated that there was plenty of neighborhood input that went into this overlay district of which she stated she was a part of. She stated that when this document was first put out, fifty some pages, she couldn’t really understand it, and there was too much nebulous stuff going on it. She stated that they went back and fixed it, and now everyone can understand what the document is new construction only. Ms. Taylor stated that their neighborhood has the largest amount of student housing. She stated that she lives on Corby, and when she moved there, five houses in front of her were owner occupied; now 4 of the 5 are rentals. She stated that what they are trying to stop is stiff being built that doesn’t fit. She stated that they have ugly apartments on South Bend Avenue and to ugly houses that look like she doesn’t know what, they are just ugly. She stated that people just come in because it is the place to be. It’s the new Granger. They come in and put up stuff and then they leave. They don’t live in the neighborhood. She stated she lives there and has lived there her entire life and that is almost as old as Councilmember Rouse is. Councilmember Puzzello stated that the Northeast Neighborhood is a very old diverse neighborhood, and has always been in everyway there is to be. One of the ways is financial ability. There have always been, not just now, for example, Professor’s at Norte Dame who wanted to live in the Northeast Neighborhood, maybe had a lot more money than other people, but wanted to live there and wanted to be a part of it. So it has always been even in people’s ability to pay a very diverse neighborhood. When the programs began that where the housing was changed a little bit and particularly when it became clear that a lot of people were coming into the neighborhood kind of for a fast buck. She stated that they saw money there and saw the opportunity to make fast money and didn’t worry very much about what they were building and didn’t try to match what was there at all. Notre Dame and their housing did try to match what was already there in that neighborhood and it may have been for a few more dollars but it did match up and look like the neighborhood it had been. So when they first put together the overlay it concerned everybody. Everybody who went for a building department for a building permit had to follow the rules of the overlay. She stated that she was particularly concerned about that because many of the people who had perfectly fine houses in the northeast neighborhood could possibly not afford to add on the way the overlay insisted that they do. First, they took all residential out of it. Then it became clear, that with some of the stuff going up that they did want to include residential, so they did not include existing residential. She stated that will help those living there already and to make sure that they stay there and can afford to do what they want to do to their homes. She stated that is very important and that she is very pleased with the overlay and hopes that the Council will vote in favor. She stated that she lives in the overlay area, in spite of what Marguerite says often that she doesn’t. She stated that this is a good thing and it will help the Northeast Neighborhood. 6