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CITY OF SOUTH BEND REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING – December 11, 2025 <br /> <br />Page | 9 <br /> <br />Upon a motion by Eli Wax for approval, seconded by Ophelia Gooden- <br />Rodgers, the motion carried unanimously; the Commission approved the <br />Amendment as presented on December 11, 2025. <br /> <br />6. Resolution No. 3660 Certificate of Completion (Property Bros.) <br /> <br />Upon a motion by Eli Wax for approval, seconded by Gillian Shaw, the <br />motion carried unanimously; the Commission approved Resolution No. <br />3660 as presented on December 11, 2025. <br /> <br />7. First Amendment to Development Agreement (Property Bros.) <br /> <br />Upon a motion by Eli Wax for approval, seconded by Gillian Shaw, the <br />motion carried unanimously; the Commission approved the First <br />Amendment to Development Agreement as presented on December 11, <br />2025. <br /> <br />8. Budget Request (Union Station Planning/Analysis) <br />Allison Doctor, Project Manager, presented a $130,000 budget request <br />to support consulting services for Union Station. As you may recall, the <br />Redevelopment Commission acquired the historic building in August <br />2024 to explore restoring passenger rail service. Since then, staff have <br />evaluated its viability, met with Amtrak, and pursued federal funding. <br />Two key questions remain: whether a platform can be built between the <br />existing tracks and whether the station’s tunnel has the structural <br />integrity needed for passenger access. The city has engaged WSP, an <br />engineering firm specializing in rail and transit, to study both issues. Part <br />of this request would fund those analyses. <br /> <br />WSP also helped prepare our previous Federal Railroad Administration <br />funding application, which was paused during the federal funding freeze <br />but has now reopened with expanded funding. We recently had a <br />productive meeting with the FRA, and they encouraged us to reapply. <br />This request would also support updating the benefit-cost analysis and <br />strengthening our grant narrative. Completing these studies and <br />submitting a competitive application would significantly advance the <br />potential return of passenger rail service to downtown South Bend. <br /> <br />President Warner asked do we have any estimate— even a rough one— <br />of what the total cost might be to renovate the station and add <br />passenger rail service? I understand the study will help determine this, <br />but is there any ballpark figure at this stage? Ms. Doctor stated that for <br />this application, we’re only proposing preliminary planning and design. <br />Last year’s request was estimated at roughly $4.6–$4.7 million, but the <br />consultants provided a broader, high-level estimate of about $40 million