No. 3153 Designating and Declaring an Amendment to the Redevelopment Plan for the South Bend Central Development Area

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industrial base concentrated within the inner city eroded while South Bend's population has declined from 133,000 in 1960 to 10 1, 168 in 2010. Conversely, a growing suburban population and abundant developable land caused retailing efforts to shift towards these new markets. Ultimately, the downtown was unsuccessful in rebuilding its position as the region's primary retail market. In response, three areas near the center of South Bend were declared redevelopment areas by the South Bend Redevelopment Commission. These areas - the Central Downtown Urban Renewal Area (Downtown) (declared in 1968); the East Bank Development Area (1980); and the Monroe Sample Development Area (198 1) -were each found to be blighted areas and plans were adopted to eliminate that blight and bring about new growth and redevelopment. Since each of these three areas had unique characteristics which impacted the other areas, over the years it was recognized that redevelopment activities had to be coordinated in order to get the maximum redevelopment benefit. The interrelationship among the three areas caused the Redevelopment Commission to reexamine its plans for each of the areas and to merge the areas into a single area for planning and redevelopment purposes in 1985. This merged area along with certain land, not included in the original redevelopment areas, but tied into the redevelopment efforts, became part of a larger area known today as the SBCDA. 1. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT A. Project Area I. Central Business District (downtown) The Central Business District is the primary identity of the South Bend community. The image which the downtown has conveyed over the years has been directly related to the underlying economic, cultural and social foundations by which it is supported. In recent decades, a new identity is emerging based on new foundations that provoke the South Bend community to renew its efforts towards revitalization of the downtown buoyed by a strong collaboration of public and private interests in future development. As a result, the Central Business District has made significant progress in strengthening its position as the financial, professional, service, cultural, educational, and entertainment center of the Michiana region. Community recognition and support of the underlying strengths and inherent advantages of the downtown area has permitted effective long range planning and positive efforts towards revitalization. The important relationship of inner -city neighborhoods to a healthy downtown has been recognized, and concentrated efforts to strengthen residential aspects of the inner -city have met with success, as evidenced by the Near Northwest, Park Avenue, West Washington, Near Northeast, and Edgewater neighborhoods. The East Bank and Monroe Park areas offer new potential for residential development close to the downtown.