07-08-85 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR __MEETING_ JULY_ 8, _1985. Council Member Serge indicated that the Public Safety committee had met on Bill No. F 67 -85 and recommended it favorable. Council Member Voorde indicated that the Zoning and Vacation Committee had met on bill nos. 23, 45 and 63 -85. He indicated that Bill No. 63 -85 received a favorable recommendation, and no recommendation was given to the other bills. Council Member Taylor made a motion to resolve into the Committee of the Whole, seconded by Council Member Zakrzewski. The motion carried. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend met in the Committee of the Whole on July 8, at 7:20 p.m., with nine members present. Chairman Serge presiding. BILL NO. 23 -85 A BILL AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED NORTH OF INWOOD ROAD AND EAST OF IRONWOOD ROAD IN THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA. Council Member Beck made a motion to accept the substitute bill on file with the City Clerk, seconded by Council Member Zakrzewski. The motion carried. This being the time heretofore set for public hearing on the above bill, proponents and opponents were given an opportunity to be heard. Duane Barrow, of Area Plan, indicated that the Commission gave no recommendation regarding this rezoning. Gerald Speedy, Kalamazoo, representative of Edward Rose, made the presentation for the bill. He indicated it was not likely that this property would ever be developed has single family. He indicated that the highest and best use for the property was multi - family. He indicated that 91 town houses and 268 garden apartments would be built for a total of 359 apartments. He indicated there would be approximately 1,532 people in the project when completed. David Wagner, 4301 Irish Hills Drive; James Kolesiak, 4403 Irish Hills; Willian Thomas, Irish Hills; Becky Wagner, 4301 Irish Hills; and Linda Jaicomo, 4335 Irish Hills; spoke in favor of this rezoning. John Voorde read the following letter, addressed to him, into the record: Dear Councilman Voorde: The seventy -eight (78) undersigned remonstrators, respectfully request that you read this letter into the record at the Zoning and Vacation Committee, and at the public hearing, on Bill No. 23 -85 at tonight's City Council meeting, and file copies of the remonstrance petition with your committee. This written remonstrance is in addition to the remonstrance petition which was filed with the Area Plan Commission. We are diversified. We include the working, the retired, the healthy, disabled, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Yet tonight we are united in our opposition to the proposed rezoning change for the seventy (70) acre site. The proposed rezoning would permit the development of 1,027 units in thirty -six (36) buildings. The new total population projected would be 1,543 people. The developer proposed that there would be two (2) main entrances onto Inwood Road. Many of the Council members have visited our end of the City and have seen firsthand the current problems, which would only be compounded by such a development. For the record, we would briefly like to highlight the following safety and traffic concerns which we have: (1) Ironwood Road between Ewing and Inwood is a narrow two -lane road. There are no shoulders, no curbs, no sidewalks, and its present width does not adequately address the current traffic. (2) The intersection of Ironwood and Ewing is a 4 -way stop. During peak traffic hours currently, cars are backed up 10 -15 vehicles at a time. This intersection is so narrow that TRANSPO buses cannot turn the corner and thus such type of transportation is not available to this vicinity. (3) The intersection of Ironwood and Calvert is also a 4 -way stop. The same traffic congestion occurs here as at the Ironwood and Ewing intersection. (4) The extremely humped railroad crossing just south of the Ironwood and Lincolnway intersection currently causes traffic problems which backup to the Calvert and Ironwood 4 -way stop, further compounding traffic. (5 The intersection of Inwood and Ironwood currently is dangerous. Looking to the south, Ironwood has a hill where four (4) lanes of traffic quickly turn into two (2) lanes of traffic. (6) Inwood Road to the west, because of its hilly and curved nature is currently posted 15 m.p.h., however this speed limit is rarely enforced. Currently traffic on this road makes it dangerous for school children who must walk in the streets because of very limited sidewalks.