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REGULAR MEETING
<br />NOVEMBER 14, 2016
<br />considerations when acquiring talent, given that young professionals seek out not only cool
<br />places to live, but places of employment, recreation, and social connectivity that are within
<br />walking distance of where they live. 20,000 people make up the workday population of
<br />downtown South Bend, compared to the 3,000 who make up its resident population. The growth
<br />of this resident population is hindered by the availability of present developments. There is a
<br />strong, growing demand in the downtown area for opportunities to live close to work. Mr. Jones
<br />stated that these opportunities are not currently present. There has been little update in the rental
<br />market since the construction of The Pointe Apartments over thirty (30) years ago. New
<br />Matthews LLC projects are focused on the student market, which is growing due to the
<br />abundance of colleges and universities in the area. The current project will provide units ranging
<br />from one (1) to four (4) bedrooms for a wide range of individuals including young college
<br />students, growing young families needing more space, and Baby Boomers. Mr. Jones stated that
<br />the price range is diverse. Matthews LLC is working on a pilot program for tenants to become
<br />volunteers in their neighborhood, in which hours of volunteer work count as credit toward a
<br />discount of up to fifty percent (50 %) of their monthly rent. Aside from the incentive of a
<br />discounted rental fee, this program seeks to build community through the establishment of
<br />relationships and the cooperative work of people of different walks of life. Mr. Jones then
<br />showed the Council slides, on file with the City Clerk's Office, depicting the interiors of existing
<br />Matthews LLC units.
<br />Rob Bartels, Martin's Supermarket, 760 West Cotter St., South Bend, IN, continued the
<br />petitioner's presentation. Mr. Bartels stated that a great many requests for a downtown
<br />supermarket have been made for years in the form of emails, through focus groups, through the
<br />word of mouth. Mr. Bartels compared the rebuilding of a store in northern Elkhart in 2008 —at a
<br />time where there was 25% unemployment in the area —to the inability for anyone to predict the
<br />convergence of vital redevelopment, increased residence, and increased opportunity all at once in
<br />downtown South Bend. Mr. Bartels stated that he would have never anticipated the Regional
<br />Cities Initiative, or private investment, or the fact that Martin's would seek to build a store
<br />downtown. It is a risk for the entrepreneur. He stated that the project should open the door for
<br />future developments, and that it itself represents momentum. It is an opportunity to put South
<br />Bend on the map as a place for businesspeople to take risks and do a good job at development.
<br />Mr. Bartels stated that he is glad that the Council has the flexibility to say yes to the right things,
<br />and that he hoped they would do so regarding this project.
<br />Mike Higbee, 277 East 12th St., Indianapolis, IN, continued the petitioner's presentation. Mr.
<br />Higbee runs a development advisory services company called Development Concepts, Inc., and
<br />was the Development & Planning Director for Indianapolis in the late 1980's. The East Bank
<br />Plan is critical and important to be considered in the decision to be made today, but it is a
<br />guidepost. When the height limit was put into that plan, it was meant to serve as a guideline for
<br />most of the development parcels within that neighborhood but not necessarily each and every
<br />one of them. Mr. Higbee disagreed with the notion that allowing a project on the right parcel to
<br />exceed the Plan's recommended height would lead to the fall of the whole neighborhood. This is
<br />a lot that can accommodate the proposed height. The area is a commercial one that has varying
<br />building heights. Further to the east would most likely be less appropriate, though. Mr. Higbee
<br />rhetorically asked whether or not the proposed project responds to the market need. In the
<br />Elkhart- Goshen area, annual growth is eight tenths of a percent (.8 %), while in South Bend,
<br />growth is one tenth of a percent (.I%). Population growth from 2013 to 2014 was two tenths of a
<br />percent (.2 %). There has to be an intervention if the population is to be increased so as to grow
<br />the community as desired. South Bend is losing its younger population, like nearly all
<br />communities, but the healthy urban communities are growing the thirty -four (34) and under
<br />population base. The IU Public Policy Institute has looked at urban centers around the State and
<br />have determined that only a handful of urban centers are going to grow in this age cohort. Many
<br />will grow older, but only the urban centers that attract talent will be able to maintain and grow
<br />that younger population. Mr. Higbee stated that St. Joseph County could go either way. If it does
<br />not plan well, if it does not build housing that this young talent wants, they will go elsewhere.
<br />South Bend has improved considerably in the last few years, but the work is not done. St. Joseph
<br />County is losing in the in- migration/out- migration battle: there are more people leaving than
<br />coming in. This has been a trend from at least 2010 to 2014. This project tries to address the fact
<br />H.
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