No. 0737 designating SBCDA, declaring SBCDA to be blighted, approving development plan/conditions which relocation pmts. will be made, establishing allocation area for purposes of TIF

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ti East Bank 5510,9691 The East Bank is located across the St. Joseph River from the Central Business District. This area played an important role in the industrial development of South Bend because of the presence of the East Race of the St. Joseph River. Originally constructed in the 1840's, the East Race provided hydraulic power to local industries such as the Singer Corporation and the A. C. Staley Manufacturing Corporation. Over the years, however, other sources of power became available, technological advances made the older industrial buildings obsolete, and industry moved to outlying locations leaving behind older, multi -story factory buildings. Eventually the East Race was filled in during the 1950's and 1960's. The memory of the race did not fade with its destruction. City residents, community groups, business leaders and public officials began to investigate ways of reopening the race to provide recreational opportunities. At the same time, city planners were looking for ways to bring about new investment in the East Bank and reuse of vacant industrial buildings. The concept of reopening the race was formally proposed in the "St. Joseph River Corridor Study" prepared by Lawson Associates in 1973. In that study recommendations were made to improve the riverfront throughout the central area of South Bend, providing parks and pedestrian walkways along the river's edge. At that time, the study suggested a re -use of existing structures in a residential community with a mix of businesses and offices connected by a system of pedestrian paths. With the reopening of the East Race Waterway in 1984 as a recreational facility there has been renewed interest in the East Bank. Private reinvestment in several older buildings has already occurred, and there is growing interest in new residential development on land previously acquired by the Redevelopment Commission. The unique characteristics of the East Bank - its proximity to downtown and the presence of the East Race Waterway - provide the City with two strong elements in its efforts to stimulate the desired private reinvestment in the area. Monroe Park Monroe Park has a different background than the Central Business District or East Bank. In the early history of South Bend, Monroe Park was a farming area on the outskirts of the town. By ' 1859 most of the neighborhood was annexed with the exception of St. Joseph and Carroll Streets. This area, known as Taylor's Field, was developed as an upper middle income neighborhood after 1874. The ' balance of the area was devoted to workmen's housing for the nearby Birdsell Farm Equipment and Studebaker Wagon factories, and was largely completed early in the twentieth century. 1 -4- 5 -10 -85