RM 04-07-78 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chair: rks by Mayor Nemeth, continued: Your Honor, we appreciate your confidence in us and the backing you have given us always - it has been a great team effort and I hope this is just the beginning of a great development in South Bend. I know that Don Wiggins- as the senior member on the Commission- has anticipated this for a long time and Don has probably taken more heat through the years than anybody in the community concerning this whole plan. Mr. Wi gins: We are glad you share our faith in South Bend and the future of South Bend. There were times that people thought we were just crazy but they found out that we are just crazy about this community. Chair: Mayor Chair: Mayor Your Honor, do you wish to say anything about the Crowe - Chizek. thing? I was going to tell about it this morning - do you want to say anything further about that? Nemeth: I think everybody knows about this - or had an inkling about it already, but Crowe - Chizek is going to construct a building on Block 6, there where Western Avenue turns into Jefferson, taking about 5.8 acres and when it is completed, Block 6 will be well on its way to being a successful development. Again, that indicates the wisdom in the type of planning and the type of procedures that we followed. We are seeing right now the difficulty we are having in downtown in clearing land for a project that is waiting to go. I know you received criticisms when buildings were torn down and land was cleared in Block 6, however it is turning out that is much easier to sell that land and move it because of the fact that it was cleared. We have the twelve story King Towers going up, Whitcomb & Keller has already opened, Lowe °s getting ready to open and now, Crowe - Chizek getting ready to break ground. I think again, this is testament to the fact that we are on the right track. Sometimes I know that we ourselves must have wondered, with some of the criticism we have had, whether we are on the right track so it has been especially nice to have things happen as they have, to justify the actions we have taken. Keep it up and one question: When and what is the next announcement? Oh yes, the St. Joe Bank Building (on Block 6) the Quality Inn blocked our view there. We hope it is soon. Your Honor, I might say that the day Mr. Lowe was here for Kitty Litter, I think the three of us were talking to him that day and he predicted exactly what was going to happen on Block 6 - that land would become a premium. He thought the plan was excellent and he said he was sure that Block 6 was going to fill up rapidly. "There will be a need for more land ". meth: I see John Kagel here, the Executive Director of the Downtown Council and John, we want to thank you and the Downtown Council . who have been most cooperative and helpful to us in getting things going and I know that no one has had more faith in getting the downtown going than you personally, as well as the members of the Council. - 2 -