40-25 Special Exception at 1527 South Michigan Street

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Staff Report— BZA#0354-25 July 7, 2025 Criteria for Decision Making: Special Exception A Special Exception may only be granted upon making a written determination, based upon the evidence presented at a public hearing, that: (1) The proposed use will not be injurious to the public health, safety, comfort, community moral standards, convenience or general welfare; The proposed use will not be injurious to the public health, safety, comfort, community moral standards, convenience, or general welfare. (2) The proposed use will not injure or adversely affect the use of the adjacent area or property values therein; The proposed usemay injure or adversely affect the use of the adjacent area or property values there in. The visual impact of a long term vehicle storage could have a negative impact to surrounding property values that are seeing infill residential development. The applicant would need to add street trees and bring the existing lot up to standards. (3) The proposed use will be consistent with the character of the district in which it is located and the land uses authorized therein; The proposed use is not consistent with the character of the district in which it is located and the land uses authorized therein. The intent of the district and the surrounding neighborhood is to produce an urban, walkable area with non-auto centric uses. (4) The proposed use is compatible with the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan. The proposed use is not compatible with the recommendations of the 2015 Southeast Neighborhood Plan, which calls for a dense commercial use at the Michigan-Indiana intersection that serves as a walkable neighborhood center. Additionally, the 2020 zoning map designated this as a Neighborhood Center district for a mixture of storefront retail and professional offices with active building facades. Analysis & Recommendation Analysis: This block of S. Michigan Street is intended to be more neighborhood and pedestrian oriented. Neighborhood Center zoned lands are meant to serve local residential uses with a more active facade and little to no auto-centric uses. Staff Recommendation: Based on the information provided prior to the public hearing, the staff recommends the Board send the petition to the Common Council with an unfavorable recommendation. SOUTH BEND BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS Page 3 uf.