RM 07-06-79 - Laserfiche WebLink

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South Bend Redevelopment Commission Regular Me ting - July 6, 1979 7. PROGRE�S REPORTS (continued) b. Msl. Hernandez continues.... We also thank Mr. Ellison for being willing to consider moving good houses into that area, although we don't quite understand where he plans to put them since there are no vacant lots in that particular section. We continue to be very concerned ab ut how this plan affects not only Monroe - Sample, but the entire Southeast side as a neighborhood. In particular we want everyone to understand how, this affects people. To you it is just a decision to demolish 57 structures. To us it is a decision to wipe out our hones, our histories, our memories, our hopes, our dr ams and our friendships. Have you actually stood anJ watched the bulldozer push one of these houses do n? I have. It gives me a sick feeling to watch what must have taken months, maybe years, of planning, sa ing, sweating, building, struggling, just knocked ov r and gobbled up in a matter of hours or days. I fe 1 a loss of something which can never be replaced, an I wonder, for what...? Is this really progress? We are told it is. We are promised economic be efit. We are promised jobs. But we see this plan as being simply a way to provide inexpensive land for th2 businesses who also will be uprotted by the East Ba k part of this project. We do not see any benefit in this to us, although we understand quite clearly ho it can benefit the businesses in the areas of ac uisition and tax breaks. The second benefit we are promised is less delay fo inbound busses which currently must make a left turn at Fellows on to Monroe. We feel that a traffic signal at that intersection would accomplish the same thing at a much lower cost to the taxpayers than demolishing 57 structures. In our estimation, the real reasoning behind the Fellows - Columbia connector is to facilitate traffic flow from below the Southeast NSA. The connector is not benefitting neighborhood residents either north or south of Sample Street who ri a public transportation, but rather it is planned to assist individual drivers moving to or from the do ntown area and outlying places. -21-