01-26-09 Common Council Meeting Agenda & Packet

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sleep and thus diminish the likelihood of loitering and other unsavory night activity in the area. Ninth, periodically providing weather amnesty will not lower property values in the area because similar programs are already operating and, as noted above, Our Lady of the Road will only be replacing a similar program that has existed for several.years. For these reasons, the second standard for granting a special exception is met. The third standard is that "the proposed use will be consistent with the character of the district in which it is located and the land uses authorized therein." The district in which this property is located and the land uses authorized therein are entirely consistent with the proposed use. Several properties in the immediate area are zoned for mixed use and, as mentioned above, are used for similar purposes and thus enjoy a use in keeping with the special exception proposed here. Specifically, to the east of the property, the Center for the Homeless uses a lot for parking the vehicles it uses in its landscaping and snow-removal business, which employs homeless people. Also, to the east of the property, the Center for the Homeless uses a lot for gardening which also will involve homeless people. Also, to the southeast of the property, the Center for the Homeless hosts a Madison Center outlet, which receives many homeless people. Each of these efforts addresses the needs of a population similar to the one to be served by Our Lady of the Road taking in homeless people on weather-amnesty nights. Also, the work of taking in homeless people on weather amnesty nights will involve no major exterior renovations to the building or the grounds of the property, other than improvements such as installing outdoor lighting, repaving the parking lot, and repairing existing fences. The fourth standard for granting a special exception is that "the proposed use is compatible with the recommendations of the City of South Bend Comprehensive Plan." This proposed use is compatible with the City plan in several respects. First, as regards the trends that prompted the City of South Bend to begin work in 2002 in the City Plan, one such trend is a decline in the City population. The proposed use will make it possible for a few homeless people, the majority of whom are long-term residents in South Bend, to remain in South Bend, until they find employment or are able attain needed services. Second, as regards the trends that prompted the City of South Bend to begin work in 2002 in the City Plan, another such trend is that the population of South Bend is much more diverse than it was when the last city plan was formulated in 1961. The proposed use is in keeping with this increase in diversity, in that Our Lady of the Road welcomes ~- people of any race, color, ethnic group, gender, sexual orientation, ability or disability, and religious creed, including those who profess none at all. Third, as regards the City Plan's guiding principle of "flexibility," the proposed use of this property falls within the parameters indicated by this principle. This area is characterized by a mixture of "light industrial" zoning, typically for light manufacturing, warehouse, and service-related activity, and "mixed use" zoning, typically retail, office, and dwelling units. Granting this petition for mixed use would meet the principle of flexibility, while not in any way conflicting with the overall nature of the area.