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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-10-2011 Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or Geri Hathaway, Director of Ignition Park, 261-3184 0450UT11 � O U d W PEACE a x 1865 Office of the Mayor NEWS RELEASE October 10,2011 4:30 pm Commission to consider site design of Ignition Park Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or Geri Hathaway, Director of Ignition Park, 261-3184 Ignition Park, the City of South Bend's technology park being developed on as many as 140 acres, could feature green boulevards, an energy center, canals and a rainwater- harvesting ecosystem, including gray-water reuse and solar- and wind-powered facilities. The South Bend Redevelopment Commission will review an Ignition Park master plan on Tuesday. The Commission could take a second, major step toward infrastructure development on 84 acres of the state-certified technology park, which is located near downtown on the grounds of the legendary Studebaker Corp. In July, the Redevelopment Commission authorized design work for Phase I in the southeast portion of the park to provide road access to and utilities for a 54,000-square- foot data center that will be built for Data Realty LLC. Work may begin before Dec. 31. On Tuesday, the Commission will act on a proposal to authorize spending $335,000 for BSA LifeStructures to prepare design development documents for Phase 113. The City will also secure third-party pricing for Phase 1B construction costs, which could exceed $9.2-million for roadways, utilities and a storm-water management ecosystem. If third- party construction estimates are acceptable, the Redevelopment Commission could authorize additional work and the City could choose which features to fund. Design development is a prelude to construction documentation, bidding and construction administration. "This is the second major step in Ignition Park's infrastructure development. Even as we are completing demolition of obsolete Studebaker buildings, we are making sure Ignition Park is ready to do business," said Mayor Stephen J. Luecke. "Ignition Park points us to our promising future—a future rooted in entrepreneurship, technology, scientific research and other innovations that are powering the new economy in South Bend." The Redevelopment Commission meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the 13th-floor conference room at the County-City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd. "If we expect to attract innovative and entrepreneurial businesses, we must act in a similar fashion," said Geri Hathaway, Ignition Park director, who is leading the strategic planning process for the technology park. "Approving this next step in the process to develop Ignition Park, as a park differentiated from other technology parks, will move us forward in that direction." Design work for Phase IB infrastructure would include: • New roadways connecting from four sides of the site to a center roundabout with associated pedestrian walks,rain gardens, street lights and signage. • Two pedestrian green boulevards from the center of the site to the northeast and northwest. • A storm-water management system, including rain gardens, canals, a retention basin, wells and pumping facilities. • Utilities (including power, lighting, communications, sewer and water) • A central plaza with green space and parking. Data Realty LLC is expected to break ground for construction of a world-class data center later this year. In addition to the Phase IA infrastructure improvements in July,the Redevelopment Commission also unanimously approved a contract to sell a five-acre site to Data Realty for $131,250. The South Bend company plans to build a $IO-million data center near Transpo's fast-in-the-nation, LEED Platinum-designated transit facility. The private company will employ 15 employees at opening. Total employment is expected to grow to 30 employees when the facility is expanded to 100,000 square feet. Data Realty has agreed not to seek any real property tax abatement. Projections of their annual taxes on the initial building are $273,000 per year. Data Realty, a startup company based at Innovation Park at Notre Dame, announced in February that it will break ground this year for a Tier III data center serving small to mid- sized businesses in South Bend and throughout the Midwest. Construction may take about nine to 12 months. Ignition Park, together with the 12-acre Innovation Park next to the University of Notre Dame campus, constitutes South Bend's dual-site, state-certified technology park. Originally designated with 83 acres, Ignition Park is being expanded by City planners to incorporate as many as 140 acres of developable land near downtown South Bend. Ignition Park seeks to attract a variety of innovative companies, especially high-tech and research-based businesses. Some ventures under development at Innovation Park at Notre Dame are expected to put down roots and grow at Ignition Park. Ignition Park is generally bounded by Sample Street on the north, Lafayette Boulevard on the east, Indiana Avenue on the south and Chapin Street/Prairie Avenue on the west.