6.D.(1) Staff Report Hansel Center

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~ ~ ~l) ~ ~ ~-SpU TH c 1 ~ ~% ~~~~, i/~ Community & Economic Development ~ ~~~<~a~~ ,~ x 1200 County-City Building, 227 West Jefferson, South Bend, Indiana 46601-1830 Phone 574/235-9371 Fax 574/235-9021 To: Redevelopment Commission From: David Relos, EDP Subject: Staff Report -Hansel Center Date: 03 20.2009 Economic Development staff brings before you today for your consideration the adaptive reuse of the former Hansel Center, which is in the West Washington Chapin Development Area (WWCDA). Hansel Center is located at 1045 W Washington Street, across the street from the Natatorium and future site of the IUSB Center for Civil Rights. Hansel Center is an historic landmark building in the West Washington / Chapin Street National Historic District. It was built in 1925 as a Children's Dispensary, and later served as a neighborhood center and as the administrative offices for Head Start. It has been vacant since August 2003 and has been vandalized by scrappers. A proposed joint venture between the City of South Bend and University of Notre Dame would rehabilitate the building to house the Notre Dame Center for Art and Culture. which would house the Institute for Latino Studies, Segura Publishing (a fine art print house which would relocate here from Tempe Arizona). among numerous other print and arts related community and university projects. Total project cost is estimated to be $l .3 million. Notre Dame"s commitment, pledged by private donors, would be approximately $800,000. and would be used for the extensive remodeling that would be required of this brick building and its carriage house and grounds. The City's commitment, which would be used for exterior work and the purchase of the building, would be $500,000. Funding this commitment would be up to $370,000 from the West Washington Chapin TIF and $130,000 from Community Development Block Grant funds. Cost to purchase the property from South Bend Heritage Foundation, who has been caretaker of the building for many years, would be approximately $100,000. This amount would pay off the mortgage and taxes owed on the property. Upon completion of the City's commitment. the property would be transferred to Notre Dame, who would be responsible for the operation and long tens care of the building. which would help anchor this area of City -both strong reasons for the City~s involvement in this project. The actions requested by the Commission today are as follows: Staff requests Commission approval to begin the process to add this property to the acquisition list for the WWCDA. This building will need to be added to the acquisition list in this Development Area, subject to being approved by the City Council and Area Plan Commission. to allow for the building purchase and spending of City funds on the renovation. Staff also requests Commission approval to authorize the use of up to $370,000 in TIF dollars for this project to be used for exterior work on the buildings and grounds. Hansel Center Staff Report.doc What We Do Today Makes A DH`fe-ence!