06-23-14 Council Agenda & Packet

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Page 1 of Jennifer Parcell - Rezoning Hearing on June 17, 2014 From: Ann Ruvolo Serianni <serianni @gmail.com> To: <Areaplan @co.st joseph.in.us >, <Imaglioz @co.st- joseph.in.us >, <jparcell@... Date: 6/17/2014 9:16 AM Subject: Rezoning Hearing on June 17, 2014 June 17, 2014 Dear Area Commission Members: J! IN 172014 AREA PLAN COMMISSION We are writing in response to the upcoming deliberation on the potential rezoning at 140 Niles Avenue in South Bend requested by River Race Townhouses, LLC. We are writing as commercial residents in the area, namely, as owners of the building located at 115 South Hill Street (Ancatrice, LLC), and owners of the business that occupies that building (Omicrot Biochemicals, Inc.). At the present time we are traveling, and thus cannot attend the meeting today to express our views of the matter in person. For the purpose of reference, we purchased the building on Hill Street in June 2005, and spent the subsequent 12 month; demolishing its interior, extending the west end (2 floors) by —30 feet, and building a state -of the art scientific researcl facility in the new space. Our decision to invest heavily in this reconstruction was influenced by the character of thf neighborhood and its long -range development - as indicated to us at the time - as an arts and sciences corridor. In recen years, we invested significantly in creating a more sustainable operation at the company, specifically with respect to water and electrical use. In the latter regard, we installed a 19 -panel 4.5 kW solar system on the building's roof in 2012, which generates a significant portion of the total electricity used by the Omicron operation. In the coming years, we hope to extenc this array. We are writing to express strong opposition to rezoning the area at 140 Niles to allow construction of buildings with heights as great as 96 feet. We believe this change in building code is incompatible with the existing structures in the vicinity, and will result in a lower quality of life for people and businesses in the area over the long term. We believe that siting the proposed tall structure will be visually unappealing to visitors confronting this building while crossing the Jefferson Bridge across the St Joseph River. We do not believe the proposed building would be an appropriate gateway to the neighborhood. Given that all of the buildings in the area are 3 stories or less in height, siting a 96 ft -high structure would detract from the charm of the neighborhood by towering over all nearby structures. In addition, it would affect the flow of sunlight and produce a less - than - optimal environment for people living and working in the area. While we enthusiastically support the development of 140 Niles, we do not believe the proposed development strategy is a wise one. We favor the siting of any new building three stories or less in order to maintain and preserve the natural beauty and building topology of the area, and retain its local charm. We have requested an analysis, from the installer of the system, of the potential negative effects of locating a 96 -11 building southwest of our building on Hill Street on the electrical power generated by our solar system. The impact is significant. Thus, the proposed 96 -11 building would negatively affect our return on investment, and impact the economics of siting more solar panels on our roof in the future. We thus urge the Area Planning Commission to reject this rezoning request. It is topographically inconsistent with the general area on the East Bank of the CBD. It will negatively impact the local environment and reduce the quality of life of people living and working in the area. It will be visually unappealing. It will exert a negative impact on our ability to generate electrical power from our solar system. We support the development of this area, but in a manner compatible with the current buildings in the area. Sincerely, Ann and Anthony Serianni file: / /C: \Documents and Settings \jparcell \Local Settings \Temp\XPgrpwise \53A00768SJC DOMAINCCPOI... 6/17/2014