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South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br /> Regular Meeting—October 11, 2011 <br /> 6. NEW BUSINESS (CONT.) <br /> B. Airport Economic Development Area <br /> (1) continued... <br /> companies, or will the city try to manage it <br /> all. Mr. Gibney replied that Graham Allen <br /> Partners is going make some recom- <br /> mendations about that. Staff generally feels <br /> that the broader exposure we get the better. <br /> Most of the properties that Redevelopment <br /> owns are commercially listed at this time. <br /> Ms. King's stated that the real value of our <br /> land is not the sales price it brings, but the <br /> employment and assessed value (taxes) it <br /> brings. <br /> Mr. Gibney agreed. That site, were Ignition <br /> Park will be built, was a million square feet <br /> of abandoned, polluted real estate that was <br /> for a long time the City's responsibility. <br /> Maintaining slums, dilapidated property, is <br /> not inexpensive. It's not free to maintain <br /> property like that. Studebaker Corridor cost <br /> the city a fortune over the years,just like our <br /> poorest neighborhoods are continuing to cost <br /> us a fortune. If Economic Development is <br /> not proactive, instead of just reactive, that <br /> checkbook is writing out checks all day long. <br /> The biggest piece of the city budget, public <br /> safety, police, fire, those dollars are spent in <br /> our poorest, dilapidated neighborhoods. That <br /> is our budget. So Ms. King's comments are <br /> right on. When Ms. Hathaway speaks of the <br /> land to the west, a lot of that is also vacant <br /> and abandoned and people aren't paying <br /> taxes and we are doing some level of <br /> maintenance, from code enforcement and <br /> particularly public safety. It's very <br /> expensive. <br /> 17 <br />