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5. OID BUSINESS (Cont'd) <br />... Ri,veA Bend Devetopment Group decided to take oven the <br />ptcojeet trust ApAit when it was appatrent Associates woutd <br />not continue, because we Jett the Downtown Matt pro pots at <br />was the best and most tikety means of devetopcng the down - <br />town. PaAtieu.ta,lty important was the need 4on some eoA- <br />poration o ptovide teadetcsh ip fat deve dap cvig the dr�wntown, <br />and not toz e the beneJ t o J the z ignij.icant and co/stty work <br />that Associates had completed. Since Apt.it, considerabte <br />time and money has been spent by'oult gtcoup to neiine the <br />concept and to do uddit i.onat tes eatch at the tequest o6 <br />ma oA re taitetus whose teases ate ab /sotu tety es/s entiat Got <br />a succezz4u2 devetopment o4 a. downtown tetarit puject. <br />... Dulti.ng the past thiAty days, meetings have been held with <br />top oJ6ici.at6 o6 /seveAat majot depaktment Istote chains <br />and aU have conjitmed thei& 'continuing .intehetst in ouA <br />downtown tcetait shopping matt. The one majoA depaAtmewt <br />,store which agreed to take space in ouA p&o ect a yecft <br />ago has eontinuoulsty re- con4iltmed the.ite ,intent. subject <br />to anotheA majotc depaAtment store joining ahem in this <br />matt, pt" zatLs 6actoty putcFii.ng a"angement with the City <br />o6 South Bend. <br />... At this point, we ate mote optimistic about outs chances <br />Got /success than at any time to date. Howevetc, it shoutd <br />be cteatrty undetustood that theAe ate many vatiabtes that <br />can .in/tuenee the success of 4a.itwte o6 /such a majoA project, <br />and many o6 these vatuiabtes aAe non- cowttottabte, "ueh as <br />nat.io nat t eta i t sates. <br />... It is ext emety d j4icutt to quanti4y the ptobab.i 2ity o4 <br />success of 6aaitme. White it woutd be a mote optimistic <br />approach to h ightight the positive ptogtezz, we have con- <br />tinowsty emphasized the specutative nature o4 this ptcojeet, <br />and we simpty cannot guaAavrtee success <br />... Even more grati.4ying is the .ineAeas.ingty widened teade,"hip <br />jot devetoping the downtown as reiteeted by the activities <br />o4 many more downtown buts,inesls people, toeat gove&nment com- <br />mittees, the uni.vetrsitiets, and othelt groups. This :inetceas- <br />ing teadeuh.ip tejtectts, in my opinion, the tremendous v.i- <br />btaney and spi i t that diijenenti.atez South Bend Jrom many <br />otheA cities. <br />... <br />16 I might repeat what we have suggested to att concerned <br />,indiv.iduat,s and gtoups, as tong as ouA project Aema.ins <br />h<ighty speculative, it is veAy impo, tart that atteAnative <br />devetopment stAateg.ies be putusued. <br />- 11 - <br />