Special Exception - 505 E. Broadway

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THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND AND ST. JOSEPH COUNTY AREA BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS PETITION a. PETITIONER'S NAME: South Bend Heritage Foundation, Inc. PETITIONER'S ADDRESS: 803 Lincoln Way West, South Bend, IN 46616 PETITIONER'S PHONE: (574) 289 -1066 b. LOCATION OF THE PROPERTY: 505 E. Broadway Street, South Bend, IN 46601 c. STATEMENT OF VARIANCE REQUESTED AND REASON FOR REQUEST; The petitioner requests a special exception use to allow for a community center and a reduction of the required seven (7) parking spaces to four (4). South Bend Heritage Foundation is rehabilitating all of its 54 affordable units at New Heritage Homes Southeast (NHHSE) with funding received through the Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Part of the requirement is to establish a community center for the residents. The property at 505 E. Broadway is adjacent to, and contiguous with, the NHHSE. The zoning, SF 2, allows for Neighborhood Partnership Centers. Although this community center is not specifically a Neighborhood Partnership Center, it will offer not only the NHHSE residents but also the entire neighborhood similar activities and services that a Partnership Center provides; apart from general meeting space, it will have space for educational classes in life skills, subjects of general interest, crafts as well as space for clubs to meet. The house will also have the leasing office for the NHHSE. Since there is only space for four off street parking spaces (one for handicapped persons), this request is also for a reduction of the required seven parking spaces to four. d. STANDARDS FOR SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS I.C. 36 -7 -918.4 addressed as follows: i. The proposed use will not be injurious to the public health, safety, comfort, community moral standards, convenience or general welfare. A community center is a place that enhances public health, safety, comfort, community moral standards, convenience or general welfare by being a safe place where the neighborhood residents can come to learn from one another or through planned educational activities. ii. The proposed use will not injure or adversely affect the use of the adjacent area or property values therein. 505 E. Broadway has been a rental property which has been allowed to deteriorate to the point that it is a detriment to the value of adjacent property values. When SBHF purchased it it had been vacant for some time. SBHF plans to rejuvenate the structure. As a well