10-04-16 Zoning and Annexation - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Matthews made several comparisons to the City subsidies and development losses at Eddy Street Commons in regard to the parking structure. Since Matthews LLC was unable to secure similar subsides from the City to support the parking garage costs, the developer argued that the proposed height of the building, along with an aggressive tax abatement strategy is necessary to support the cost of the garage in the long -run. Rather than burden the tax payer with the costs of the garage, the developer is taking a more risk averse strategy to covering parking costs. Mr. Matthews concluded his presentation and welcomed Council questions. Councilmember Williams- Preston asked about access to affordable housing and if the current development will also become an affordable option for residents. Mr. Matthews explained that several of his developments are high -end, luxury apartments, but they are working through their Madison Center pilot program to offer affordable options. The programs pay people $25/hour or up to half off their rent to volunteer in the neighborhood. Mr. Matthews followed up stating they'll be implementing this model throughout their apartment developments to make their apartments more affordable since older development's prices will drop once their upgraded developments come online. Councilmember Randy Kelly asked how many people submitted grant proposals to the Regional Cities and who is on the board. Mr. Matthews responded that our region had thirty -nine (39) original applications. Of the applicants fifteen to eighteen (15 -18) were invited to the second round review in which five (5) organizations actually submitted a paper to be reviewed by the state. The board included John Affleck- Graves and others leaders from around the Michiana area. Committeemember Broden thanked Mr. Matthews for coming to present and asked why his proposal changed since his actual grant proposal. Especially, in regard to the changed height. Mr. Matthews responded that they initially thought South Bend had a slim chance of actually receiving the grant, so not much detail went into the initial grant proposal. After the Michiana region received the grant, Matthews LLC. developed an actionable plan as opposed to a broad vision. Councilmember Tim Scott asked Mr. Matthews to discuss the issue of solar access as it relates to the Pointe and units facing the parking garage. Mr. Matthews shared that there's a ten (10) foot space between the parking garage and the commercial residential building. Two (2) separate buildings make the garage cheaper to build and provides air space and natural light to both structures. The developer intends to place service spaces and workout facilities facing the garage to maximize solar access to actual apartment units. Mr. Matthews also showed slides of various light and shadow on