05-23-16 Zoning and Annexation - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Attorney Cekanski- Fan-and asked what the timeline was for the agreements with the History Museum. Mr. Zeiger stated it just is a matter of time to get it written, the details have already been agreed upon. Council Attorney Cekanski - Farrand responded Council President Tim Scott, who is absent due to an illness, had questions about the engineering study. Councilmember Regina Williams- Preston entered the meeting at 3:50 p.m. The public was given an opportunity to speak either in favor or against the bill. Those wishing to speak in favor: Andrew Hudak, 121 South Chapin, spoke in favor of the bill. He had spoken at the Area Plan Commission with concerns. Most of those concerns have been addressed. He appreciates the efforts taken to relieve the parking issue but the natural place if their lot is full will be to park on the south side of Chapin. That is public parking on the street and everyone knows that when they purchase a house there. He is thrilled at the level of work going into the building which desperately needs it and appreciates that they have limited the residential units to no more than two (2) in the mansion and no more than one (1) in the carriage house. It will require some work but if those limits ate in place and the parking agreements with the History Museum are agreed to then it will be a great addition to the neighborhood. Jim Bognar, 8058 West Washington, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Bognar stated Indiana Landmarks has done an outstanding job since mid - March. They are a local company hiring local workers who are very respectful to the surrounding properties. Mr. Zeiger has done an immeasurable amount of work making sure everything is running smoothly. Parking has always been a concern in this neighborhood. A year ago there was an attempt to place a curb cut so that the front could be restored like Mr. Zeiger wants to do. Engineering really pushed back against that curb cut but did eventually grant permission but then the property was sold before it took place. Mr. Bognar stated he thinks they should get the approval for the curb cut from Engineering before the Council acts on this. There should also be a neighborhood traffic study like Mr. Zeiger desires. The Administration, the Council, Landmarks and the neighborhood all need to be on the same page before this moves forward because the work Mr. Zeiger is doing is outstanding. If we want this positive development to move forward we need Engineering to agree with this curb cut first. Everyone is going to have to get along with parking if we want this to be successful. Jack Smith, 220 South William Street South Bend, spoke in favor of the bill. He moved here in 1960 and immediately got involved in historic preservation. We need to take care of these wonderful old properties. There were a lot of frightened people when we learned someone out of town was going to handle the property but all those fears have gone away. He has a lot of faith in what they are doing and it's going to be a success. We have torn down far too many of these 2