2A Redevelopment Commission Minutes 03.13.25 - Signed

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING – March 13, 2025 7 fallen into severe disrepair and is a concern for residents in the community. Staff have secured the site and will continue to monitor the building, however, there are significant structural issues. Secretary Wax asked if there were any potential development ideas for the site and Mr. Molnar stated that not in its current state, however, after the demolition and cleanup those conversations would likely occur. He explained the RDC does own the site just North, however, there are environmental concerns. Commissioner Gooden-Rodgers asked about the language in the slide stating “Any remaining funds would be used to clear debris” and wouldn’t the demolition also remove the debris? Mr. Molnar stated that there is additional debris on the site that this is speaking to. Secretary Wax asked about the history of the previous owners and Mr. Molnar stated that there is an active case file. Caleb Bauer stated that the previous owners were Scorpio Properties, LLC and tax delinquency was what led to BPW taking the title due to remediating environmental concerns. Mr. Bauer explained that we are actively working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to explore the existence of any potentially responsible parties or any existing insurance policies and claims to recoup some of the costs and would not likely offset the full costs of the work. Secretary Wax pointed out that they haven’t paid taxes in at least 12- 25 years and are delinquent $146,000 and why it hadn’t been addressed earlier. Mr. Bauer explained that there was a recent bidder and putting money down to go through the redemption process, however, did not complete the process. That triggered a redemption process and delayed it coming back until the next sale which further added to the delays. Commissioner Wax asked that the City be more proactive in this process and Mr. Bauer agreed and stated that in recent years, we have been requesting properties of interest be removed from the sale and County Commissioners considering remitting those certificates to the City. Tina Patton, Jim Bognar, Roseanna Lemrow, Donny Rogers spoke in favor of the request. Matt Barrett asked if the City paid last year’s tax payment of $5,900 and Mr. Bauer stated yes, however, the property will be tax exempt going forward. Vice-President Relos also spoke in favor of the demolition and asked what this leaves for the West Washington TIF. Mr. Bauer explained that the West Washington TIF will stop drawing in June of this year. However, tax payments received this year and based on our projections and past revenues, there would probably be about $800,000 remaining in the development area when it ceases drawing any more revenue. Commissioner Shaw is in favor of the project, however, asked about the environmental hazards and remediation costs in the future. Mr. Bauer explained that there will be additional investigations on the site once the demolition has taken