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Citir of South Bend, Department of Redevelopment <br />Page Two <br />June 25, 1975 <br />We again urge you to proceed with the requested change in land use <br />immediately, rejecting any and all bids received at this time, <br />for reasons most important to the future and economic welfare of <br />downtown South Bend. These include: <br />(1) <br />` (2) <br />(3) <br />Limiting the housing to 200 units may prevent our ob- <br />taining all of the 225 HUD Elderly Housing Units now <br />being advertised for South Bend. Certainly it restricts <br />the development of this site for additional luxury apartments <br />at some future time. <br />Full utilization of the Century Center will require .added <br />motel rooms and a prestigous restaurant and entertain- <br />ment bar of the size and quality we propose. Information <br />on the Midway Motor Lodge and Hoffman House Restaurant <br />is attached. If this is in doubt, we urge a review of the <br />future requirements with the Convention Bureau, the <br />Chamber of Commerce, the directors of the Century <br />Center , the motel tax board and interested business <br />men in the downtown area. <br />The added revenue and attraction of visitors provided <br />by the Midway Motor Lodge and Hoffman House Restaurant <br />will greatly stimulate the River Bend business area and <br />will contribute to better business for existing motor inns <br />and restaurants. In similar size communities they have <br />demonstrated ability to attract several hundred patrons <br />each night for cocktails , dinner and dancing. <br />The restrictions prohibiting a motel and more than 200 residential <br />units on Block 6 seem most inappropriate. Motels are permitted in the <br />land use plans for Areas A, G, and Hand further motel development <br />would be permitted in Area F. The 200 unit residential limitation <br />seenis arbitrary and is in conflict with the recommendation contained <br />in The Master Plan for The St. Joseph River Corridor prepared for <br />The Redevelopment Commission by Lawson Associates. Specific <br />references relating to this proposal are: <br />(a) Policies and Objectives III, Paragraph 8, Page 46 <br />"The one major objective is to attract people to the <br />river's edge. , Recreation is one way of achieving <br />his objective. Another consideration is to develop <br />