08-27-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING August 27, 2018 Brian McMorrow, Abonmarche Consultants with offices located at 750 Lincolnway East, South Bend, IN, served as the petitioner of this bill. Mr. McMorrow stated, I'm here on behalf of the owner. I guess what makes this special, unlike PNC Bank and Burger King where the drive-thru tends to dominate the whole operation, the drive-thru we will see is just one (1) small element of what we believe is a really special building. It is kind of the flip of the Federal Courthouse across the street which has a lot of concrete and not much glass. This building will have a lot of glass and will bring a lot of light and energy onto the street. We have either complied with the Zoning Ordinance in its entirety or have from the ABZA a handful of variances. All we ask for tonight is this special exception for a ground floor coffee shop. Here (referencing projected images which are available in the City Clerk's Office) are a few images from various perspectives. This is not a suburban location. This is a downtown location and we certainly hope there will be enough residents and business people downtown that they will walk up to get their coffee at the desk as opposed to driving though. This is not an on-the-way type place. This will be for people who live or work downtown. Jeff Smoke, Great Lakes Capital with offices located at 112 West Jefferson Boulevard, stated, Brian gave a great intro. We are looking forward to breaking ground in the first (1S) quarter of 2019 and bringing new energy and excitement to downtown South Bend. Councilmember Oliver Davis asked, Could you share what you shared this afternoon about who that will be? Mr. Smoke replied, Ideally we would love to have all those details ironed out in the next few months. We are talking to a few different tenants for both the retail spaces and the office space. In the next few months we should have more certainty on who they are. Councilmember Oliver Davis followed up, And what will make this unique? Mr. Smoke replied, I think the building will be first(1St)class and it will be the first(1St)new office investment downtown in,I think, over twenty(20) years. I think there is a lot of excitement. From the coffee shop perspective, we are asking for the drive through but it will be a more walkable destination. Councilmember Oliver Davis then asked, And they will serve hot chocolate, marshmallows and that kind of stuff, too, right? Mr. Smoke replied, I will certainly try, yes. Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston asked, So will the whole bottom floor be retail? Mr. Smoke replied, Yes, the bottom floor will be one hundred percent (100%) retail. The south most suite will be for the coffee shop tenant. Councilmember Jo M. Broden asked, Is it flexible space though? So if the coffee shop does not, could it be used for other retail purposes? Mr. Smoke replied, Sure, it could be a multitude of uses. Councilmember Jo M. Broden followed up, Then procedurally, as Council, we just received the staff report. There aren't any site plans at all. That might help in the future to include that in the packet. That is all I received in mine is the cover letter and the memo from the Area Plan staff. Council President Tim Scott stated, That would come from the Department of Community Investment. Councilmember Tim Scott stated, In Committee I mentioned I was concerned about the bottlenecking but I appreciate you guys talking through that. I'm fine with all that. This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. None from the public wished to speak in favor of or opposition to this bill. Councilmember Gavin Ferlic made a motion to adopt Bill No. 18-40. Councilmember Karen White seconded the motion which carried by a roll call vote of eight(8) ayes.