10-03-08 St. Joseph Street will go green along Century Center

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Office of the Mayor NEWS RELEASE October 3, 2008 11 a.m. St. Joseph Street will go green along Century Center Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or Jeff Gibney, Director of Community and Economic Development, 235-9371 A major thoroughfare in downtown South Bend will become greener and more pedestrian friendly with calmer traffic, after the Redevelopment Commission on Friday authorized a proposed $1 million project fronting Century Center along St. Joseph Street. Coinciding with the construction of a new $38-million, 11-story downtown hotel and nearly $4 million in infrastructure improvements at Century Center, a proposed Sculpture Garden will create a ribbon of green space with art and culture along St. Joseph Street. Streetscape enhancements will stretch from Wayne Street to almost Colfax Avenue. In that segment, the City will calm traffic speed by removing a travel lane along the east side of St. Joseph Street, reducing traffic from four to three lanes. In addition, a fifth left- turn lane on the west side would add entrance lanes for the new hotel and parking garage, at the northwest corner of St. Joseph Street and Jefferson Boulevard. “The idea is to green and soften the front of Century Center,” said Susan Visser, executive director of South Bend Museum of Art, which plans to extend its display space beyond the walls of Century Center into the emerging Sculpture Garden. “We’ve been working on this concept for a few years. We have met with a lot of people in the community who are excited about this happening.” The project will also: ? Move Century Center’s parking entrance further south (across from the South Bend Community School Corp. building) to improve pedestrian safety and extend green space. ? Close the circle entrance drive in favor of pedestrian walkways and a smaller handicapped-accessible drop-off under the Century Center canopy.