10-20-08 New specialist will promote South Bend neighborhoods

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Office of the Mayor NEWS RELEASE October 20, 2008 Noon New specialist will promote South Bend neighborhoods Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or Sue Solmos, Residential Marketing Specialist, 235-9660 For the first time, the City of South Bend will take a more active role in the residential housing market, creating a new initiative to market residential neighborhoods and staffing that effort with a veteran real-estate agent with similar experience in Indianapolis. Sue Solmos, a real-estate agent and community activist with national recognition for her public-private efforts in Indianapolis, began this fall as residential marketing specialist in the Department of Community and Economic Development. In that role, Solmos will work to market all city neighborhoods, though her initial efforts will focus on near- downtown residential areas. The new position addresses several housing-related objectives identified in City Plan, South Bend’s 20-year comprehensive plan, which was adopted in 2006 after strong community participation. They include: ? Increase the marketability of South Bend’s neighborhoods. ? Promote homeownership within city limits. ? Strive for livable, mixed-income neighborhoods that collectively reflect the diversity of income levels of the region. “At a time when many Americans cannot afford to own a home, we want to put out the welcome mat to demonstrate the great value of housing in South Bend. We believe homebuyers will find a market that offers appealing neighborhoods with diverse housing choices,” said Mayor Stephen J. Luecke. “Sue will work in partnership with real-estate agents and businesses in promoting the range of quality housing options available in South Bend to newcomers as well as to area residents who may not have known South Bend’s great options before settling for homes that did not satisfy their original needs.”