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Located at Bendix Drive and Ardmore Trail, just south of Lincolnway West, LaSalle <br />Square is a 31-acre site that once had hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail <br />occupied by Target, Kroger and other stores. The shopping center began to lose business <br />as employment fell in nearby industrial areas, traffic declined and new retail centers <br />opened in other parts of South Bend. Yet more than 5,000 people work within one mile of <br />LaSalle Square and, consultants said, that adds to the neighborhood’s market potential. <br /> <br />While LaSalle Square’s full development is projected to take place over two decades, the <br />125-page plan outlines immediate steps in five-, 10- and 20-year stages. <br /> <br />“A lot can change in 20 years,” concluded the report by two Chicago-based consultants, <br />the Center for Neighborhood Technology and zpd+a, an architectural firm. “By working <br />closely with the current property owners and future developers, investing in <br />infrastructure, and providing for the community’s desires, the City of South Bend <br />working in conjunction with the community can shape this area into a thriving <br />neighborhood with amenities that services its occupants.” <br /> <br />The plan’s immediate recommendations (for implementation in five years) include: <br />? <br />Creating a streetscape that turns the Bendix-Lincolnway intersection into a gateway <br />to LaSalle Square. <br />? <br />Extending the street grid from the surrounding neighborhood into LaSalle Square, <br />reducing massive surface-lot parking and providing better connection to residents. <br />? <br />Developing senior housing and the first phase of convenience retail options in the <br />northeast portion of LaSalle Square. <br />? <br />Acquiring land along the southern portion of LaSalle Square (south of Prast <br />Boulevard) to develop a linear park with a bicycle path. <br />? <br />Creating a recreational park in the southwest corner of LaSalle Square with facilities <br />that could include a playground, band shell or small sporting venue. <br />? <br />Starting and promoting, with business sponsorship, programs and initiatives at <br />LaSalle Square, including community gardening and farming, a farmer’s market and <br />movies in the park. <br /> <br />Within 10 years, the consultants anticipate that LaSalle Square’s usage and value will <br />increase, allowing for: <br />? <br />More intensive use of nearby industrial areas. <br />? <br />Completion of 20,000 to 40,000 square feet of retail development along Bendix. <br />? <br />Creation of a public plaza (a “LaSalle Square”) in the center of the site that could <br />house community programs. <br />? <br />Encouragement of private development of new housing around the plaza. <br /> <br />“Over 20 years the housing and retail development in LaSalle Square should expand in <br />scale and variation, becoming a genuine center for the community. A community center <br />with space for senior and youth activities should be incorporated into the central plaza,” <br />the report said. “At any time during the 20-year development, the satellite campus of a <br />community college or trade school desired by community residents could be developed in <br />or near the site as a project that would complement all other planned development.” <br />-more- <br /> <br />