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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2016 Sharon Baniki, 3822 Ford Street, stated she wishes she could be as optimistic as the previous speakers and hopes that Mr. Mathews gets his building. The whole downtown right now is being built on speculation for Smart Streets and here is a developer who is offering $50 million of his own money speculating that it is going to work and for whatever reason everyone is questioning it. It won't cost taxpayers any money and the developer is putting up all the risk. If the apartments don't rent at his prices he has stated he will lower the rent. If the developer is so eager to be flexible, the City should return the favor. Matt Hall, 116 South Niles Avenue, stated he lives a few blocks from where the proposed project will be. He stated he strongly agrees with the arguments previously made in favor of the project. He stated he is a faculty member at the University if Notre Dame and a regular responsibility of his is to interview job candidates. Ten (10) to fifteen (15) times a year he is sitting down with young professionals who are debating if they should come live in South Bend. The University has a very easy pattern developed. If the person. wants to live in the suburbs with big yards, we drive them around Granger and Mishawaka and we have a really good success rate with those people. However, a lot of people don't want to live in that environment. We recruit from all over the country and many want a vibrant and urban community. They want to walk to restaurants and bars and have community activities going on down their street. Those type of people ask about living in South Bend and they ask questions like is there a grocery downtown or a twenty -four (24) hour pharmacy or are there new apartments being built. Those people want options and unfortunately the University has to try to change the topic. Mr. Hall stated this project excites him as a resident because he is thrilled to have a pharmacy and grocery store three (3) blocks down the street but the really exciting part is as a faculty member at a major employer in the area to be able to tell job candidates about walking three (3) blocks down the street to pick up groceries. He implored the Council to improve the proposal. Shannon McTeague, 226 East Bartlett Street South Bend IN, stated she works at 419 West Jefferson Blvd so she both works and lives in Downtown South Bend. She stated she intends to put her roots down in this area and she is the third generation of her family to live in St. Joseph County. South Bend has to move into this direction and continue to flourish. She stated she desires to immerse herself into the people and culture of South Bend. This community has so much to offer and this project will only increase the benefits of living here. Jacob Titis, 633 Cottage Grove, stated the planners who spoke about the lack of open space were misleading. First, the project only removes space that is currently a level parking lot which is not used much for anything except people parking. He stated he spent this whole summer working in the Commerce Center and we were the only people currently using that space. Taking away that parking lot would not make any mark on this City. This is an opportunity to put people there where they are able to use and enjoy the river and other amenities nearby. Lionel Jensen, 1305 Ridgedail Rd South Bend IN, stated he is very enthusiastically in favor of this proposal. He thanked the Council for giving the public an opportunity to speak and thanked the Council for all of their work over the past few years. South Bend has witnessed a lot of changes over the last several years and this Council had a good part in that. The Council has a fiduciary commitment to this community. Mr. Mathew's is an exemplar of what we should do and do right in this town. There is such meaningful growth here and we have to make sure we embrace this positive change. There is genuine synergy here and with Notre Dame. He stated Notre Dame has hired five (5) employees in Asian Studies over the past six (6) months and they have all come to downtown and wanted to live here. They all wanted to be downtown. We have people from the East and West Coasts leaving their schools because money is collapsing around academia there, while here Notre Dame and our inner city are supporting it. The Council should have faith that the energy of this development is just one (1) small part of growing positive change in our community. This town has wanted to grow for fifty (50) years and now it is not haphazard and it is focused. We have unique and complex growth in South Bend right now and let us not let the inches or the miles or the feet get into the way of something that would bring great honor to our community. Adam McMillen, 215 East Colfax, stated he has family in Manchester Massachusetts which is fairly similar to South Bend as an old industry town. That town had done a wonderful job bringing in young people to breathe life into their City. South Bend is making the moves to get to 18