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viability of the remaining Studebaker buildings and land and to analyze market conditions, infrastructure, re -use potential, site configuration and other issues that would impact the redevelopment of the property. After the Steering Committee was formed, the former Oliver Plow Works site was added to the study. The expanded project area contains a total of approximately 141 acres with nine buildings and 4,500,000 square feet of space. It is divided into three basic areas: Area A ( Studebaker south of Sample Street), Area B (Studebaker north of Sample Street) and Area C (Oliver Plow Works). In addition, a focus group session involving 40 real estate brokers and developers reinforced the idea that the poor condition of the buildings and, fears,of.environmental contamination would prevent the real estate market from absorbing the property in the Studebaker/Oliver area in its current condition. After a six-month long'process:the Studebaker/Oliver Plow Works Redevelopment Strategy was prepared. This was approved°by the South Bend Redevelopment Commission on October 13, 2004 and the South Bend.Common Council on April 23, 2001. The Strategy calls for a 10-15"year program to completely reyitalize the area. It sets forth specific action steps and a timetable :for:revitalizing the area. The primary strategy is for the City to acquire and demolish the;"existing.buildings in Area A and Area C and develop new industrial parks there, for industrial` and warehousing uses. Our overriding goal of the Strategy is to have; clearedland that can be sold for private development in order to increase the tax base and create new jobs in the community. To accomplish the goals of the project, the environmental, condition of the site must be addressed. Since its completion the Studebaker/Oliver Plow'.Works Strategy has been widely discussed in the community. ;;City staff has made presentations at more than eight neighborhood and business association meetings with 'ari'estimated attendance of 300 persons. In addition it has been discussed at numerous City Council and Redevelopment Commission meetings. The:South Bend Tribune has run several articles about the strategy and, in,June 2002, a newsletter was prepared outlining the Strategy and reporting on the.status of redevelopment efforts to date, This newsletter was mailed to approximately 704. neighborhood and community leaders and was distributed at all branches of the St. Joseph County Public Library and at City of South Bend offices. A copy of the brochure is attached'at Attachment F. We expect to provide annual updates to the.community through future editions of the newsletter. Our June 2002 newsletter is currently.being translated into".Spanish and future editions will be printed in both English and ,Spanish.versions. During the summer of 2001* the staff worked with the Upward Bound Program at the University of Notre Dame on a six-week project where the high school freshmen and sophomores analyzed the conditions at Area A and developed their own re -use ideas for the property. Their report.was presented to the Common Council in September 2001. During the 2002-2003 school year, staff has been working with a University of Notre Dame economics class on Urban Decline and Poverty. The college juniors and seniors in this class have been studying the impact of the decline of the Studebaker and Oliver -10-