01-28-13 Agenda & Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Area Board of Zoning Appeals—December 5, 2012 for Hepatitis or HIV can survive for days and weeks at a time and that on our State Board of Health's web site, that piece of information. Once a year inspection and maybe once in a lifetime testing, that's not enough. That is endangering everyone who come around there. As I said I was astounded read it. I've lived in this neighborhood for 44 years. I love it. I moved into it. We thought it would be a good place to raise our children. We started with two there and ended up with four there. We like it because we have a dead end street there. It's quiet. Our children can play. I have no doubt my neighbors with young children will either move away, which I think would be terrible because we have wonderful young professional and just young families who have moved in or their children will be at danger. So I urge you to reject this appeal. Thank you. MR. URBANSKI: Thank you ma'am. MR. ANDREW SHUAMBER: I live at 702 S. Eddy Street, South Bend. As to the potential establishment of a tattoo and body piercing parlor at the location of 1107 Mishawaka Ave., I do object. I have no issues as to the character or sincerity of the new potential owner of the property. What I do have issue with is the proposed site of the potential business. This sort of business should not be located so close to and amongst a residential area. As a matter of fact, the proposed site is only an alley's width away from the nearest residential property. Would you embrace such a business just feet away from your front door? You can fix up the property and give the business a very inviting name, but it still doesn't change the type of business that it is. In the general area there are other businesses such as Bambers Superette, The Builders Store,and the Farmers Market which are long established and add a positive spin as to what a traditional neighborhood business should be. A tattoo and body piercing business is not reflective of what the neighborhood is and what message it creates and conveys for the community in general. In conjunction with a tavern only about a block away on the Avenue from the proposed site, it would help create a sense of deterioration and decay not prosperity and value for the area. I cannot argue or deny that tattoos and body piercings can have artistic .merit,that they let an individual express themselves and that they are becoming more widely turned to. These are just facts of the matter. But there are practices concerning this industry that I do feel lack artistic merit and border on the lewd. Commonplace for tattoo and body piercing industry is the application of what are commonly referred to as tramp stamp tattoos, which are tattoo that some women get applied just above the buttocks region. Also commonplace is the piercing of tongues which is done as a way to further promote fellatio.And even though it is not typically revealed to the general public,the piercing of nipples and genitalia is also a practice of the industry. Adding to the downside of this are other negatives that tend to follow this industry such as an intermingling of criminal and or seedy characters and the potential devaluation of properties. Wouldn't this be a potential nightmare for a realtor trying to sell and adjacent property. You can call this negative stereotyping if you will, but stereotypes unfortunately do exist because there is a tendency for them to be reinforced. Do you still want a tattoo and body piercing parlor in your neighborhood? Now just visualize if you will, children crossing this property to and fro to attend Jefferson Grade School, which they currently do and have done for years, oh, and this grade school is just down the alley in plain sight. Or someone taking their dog for an evening stroll. Or even someone walking to the market or grocery store. And what do these activities have in common? It's the potential passing of a business that will probably offer and promote services that do not embrace the positives of a residential area. In recent year,the City of South Bend has been trying to clean up its image by trying to eliminate strip clubs. 46