Special Exception - 515 S. St. Joseph St. - Michael J. Baxter (Catholic Worker of Michiana, Inc.)

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4 immediately to the north of the proposed property; the four vacant lots to the north of Mr. Piasecki's property, which are owned by Bfs Retail & Commercial Operations, Llc., of Nashville, Tennessee; 502 S. Michigan St., which is an auto repair shop; 512 S. Michigan St., which is a vacant lot; 516 S. Michigan St., which is a vacant building; 520-522 S. Michigan St., which is also a vacant building, 532 S. Michigan St., the Hope Rescue Mission; and 534 S. Michigan St., another auto repair and sales shop. Even a cursory survey makes it clear that the block on which the property in question is located is in large part amixed- or commercial-use block. As such, it is not inconsistent to allow a group residence on this block. Fourth, members of the Monroe Park Neighborhood Association have assured us that a Catholic Worker house or houses would be welcomed into this neighborhood and indeed would be a definite asset to it, for several reasons. For one thing, the Catholic Worker would be doing the bulk of its work with the homeless not in this neighborhood, but at its drop-in center, Our Lady of the Road, on 744 S. Main St. For another thing, the members of the Catholic Worker would be entering this neighborhood as homeowners, which is an asset in an area in which almost half of the real estate consists of rentals. And then there is the fact that many in the Neighborhood Association prefer to have the Catholic Worker in its neighborhood, if for no other reason than it would be a beneficial addition to the Neighborhood Organization and to the general life of the neighborhood. These assurances were given to members of the Catholic Worker in two separate meetings, one on March 4, 2006, at the regular monthly meeting of the Monroe Park Neighborhood Association, and one on March 20, 2006, at a special meeting convened for the specific purpose of talking with members of the Catholic Worker about their plans to move into this neighborhood. At both of these meetings, members of the Monroe Part Neighborhood Association gave their assurance to members of the Catholic Worker that the Catholic Worker's plan to use two properties on S. St. Joseph St. for hospitality to the homeless is consistent with other land uses in this district, and is indeed beneficial to the neighborhood as a whole. For these reasons (admittedly elaborate) reasons, the third standard for granting a special exception is met. The fourth standard for granting a special exception is that "the proposed use is compatible with the recommendations of the City of South Bend Comprehensive Plan." This proposed use is compatible with the City plan in several respects. First, as regards the trends that prompted the City of South Bend to begin work in 2002 in the City Plan, one such trend is a decline in the City population. The proposed use will make it possible for a few homeless people, the majority of whom are long-term residents in South Bend, to remain in South Bend, to seek and find employment, and to attain the needed services. Second, as regards the trends that prompted the City of South Bend to begin work in 2002 in the City Plan, another such trend is that the population of South Bend is much more diverse than it was when the last city plan was formulated in 1961. The proposed