28-26 Alley Vacation - 718 and 710 Napoleon Street

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• It replaces a single old rental property ,with twohigh-quality, owner-occupied homes. Promoting owner-occupied homes has been central to the collective mission in the NEN since I arrived in 2004.The initial problem was the existence of student rentals in what had originally been family homes, negatively affecting quality of life for family residents. As the neighborhood improved, it became attractive to out-of-town Notre Dame alumni/ae to buy/build "football houses," residences that are only occupied on football weekends and other limited times during the year, which can lead to a vacant, lifeless neighborhood. The proposed homes will be occupied by two families that have long standing in South Bend and who intend to remain in residence for many years to come. This not only displaces a rental property but modestly enhances housing density in the NEN. Building the two proposed homes on this site legitimately requires some flex on the part of the City. • The requested changes improve,rather than detract from,the physical environment. The Ludwigs have proposed to replace at their own cost the existing sidewalks along Napoleon and St. Peter. Both sidewalks are deteriorated and will benefit visually and functionally by new construction. In addition, the Napoleon sidewalk does not align where it crosses St. Peter, and relocation will align those sidewalk segments. To their credit, the Ludwigs have reached out to secure the cooperation of the church to the west and will cover the cost of construction for that portion of sidewalk as well. Finally, new construction will allow for ADA-compliant curb cuts at both St. Peter and St. Louis. For the above reasons, I support the Ludwig's petition. Sincerely, 2.4 Greg Hakanen