My WebLink
|
Help
|
About
|
Sign Out
Home
Browse
Search
12-12-16
sbend
>
Public
>
Common Council
>
Minutes
>
Common Council Meeting Minutes
>
2016
>
12-12-16
Metadata
Thumbnails
Annotations
Entry Properties
Last modified
4/26/2017 10:35:19 AM
Creation date
1/11/2017 4:00:34 PM
Metadata
Fields
Template:
City Council - City Clerk
There are no annotations on this page.
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015
Laserfiche.
All rights reserved.
/
34
PDF
Print
Pages to print
Enter page numbers and/or page ranges separated by commas. For example, 1,3,5-12.
After downloading, print the document using a PDF reader (e.g. Adobe Reader).
Show annotations
View images
View plain text
REGULAR MEETING December 12, 2016 <br />don't know how you can fit a grocery store and pharmacy into three (3) separate buildings. He <br />pointed out that the request for amenities dictates a fairly large footprint. He argued that large <br />buildings are the kind of thing that put towns on the map. He contrasted reaction to the height of <br />the proposed project to lack of reaction to the twelve (12) story tall Karl King Tower on Lincoln <br />Way East, stating that residents drive by it every day and do not give it a second thought. He <br />concluded that the PUD was a good opportunity for the City: little upfront cash from the City <br />would give the City money for other development. <br />Councilmember Gavin Ferlic stated that PUD's must be evaluated according to rational criteria. <br />He argued that the project fit within the character of the neighborhood, that it was a desired use, <br />that density would increase commercial value— therefore, a grocery store and pharmacy would <br />increase property values for residential properties. He stated that ninety -five percent (95 %) of the <br />proposed project fits the plan, and that only the height does not fit. He stated that the City has <br />powerful momentum —that the City has found a way to say yes and that its reputation has <br />improved as a result. He contrasted this with a failure to acquire University Park Mall, WSBT, <br />and May Oberfell Lorber —all caused by the desire to fit the projects too perfectly to plans. He <br />stated that there were lost opportunities and lost jobs, and that lives were negatively impacted by <br />these failures. The majority of people, he stated, support the project. He listed among those <br />people the Neighborhood Association, the River Race Flats Homeowners Association, and the <br />East Bank Homeowners Association. He added that a reasonable attorney can say that this is an <br />appropriate project, as can a reasonable layperson. He concluded that saying yes has done the <br />City good. <br />Councilmember Oliver Davis began by clarifying that the May Oberfell Lorber decision did not <br />come before Council and was, in fact, an administrative decision. He was thankful for the <br />extension of the discussion of the PUD, stating that he felt there was an attempt to squash this <br />discussion. Any less time, he argued, would mean that Council could not make a sound decision. <br />He stated that this gave Council the chance to carefully review plans and examine the very need <br />for reviewing them. He stated that there were gaps in these plans. He stated that this discussion <br />exposed the fact that the City was unable to keep the promise it made in the East Bank Plan of <br />2008 to build garages by 2016. He stated that the City has a responsibility to honor promises <br />made in plans. He further stated that the Council should know that there is not City money in- <br />place ahead of time. He asked how the City could expect developers to honor their promises if <br />the City could not itself do so. He argued that it was not fair to Dave Matthews, and that the City <br />should be capable of being creative so as to fund these projects. He explained that he voted to <br />raise taxes in 2008 to help ensure that funding would be at a level that could prevent South Bend <br />residents from being impacted by what was going on in the State. He stated to Councilmember <br />Ferlic that that was why Council has been able to say yes for the past eight (8) years. He stated <br />that he was shocked that the City's financial experts did not plan such that higher taxes would <br />lead to more robust funding. He concluded that the project's height should be set at sixty -seven <br />(67) feet, and that the City should pay for the garage. <br />Councilmember John Voorde stated that this process belonged in front of the Council. He <br />declared that he would be voting against the bill because the height of one - hundred and seventy - <br />five (175) feet was too high for that area. He stated, though, that an argument could be made that <br />the Island between the race and the river is considered distinct from what is east of the race to <br />Niles Avenue. He stated that the garage was key. He explained that the PUD is a tool for <br />expediting development and that the PUD process was a public one. He argued that plans —being <br />good guideposts —were better when they included stakeholders in the plan - writing process than <br />when they were paid for. He stated that economic realities must be considered: the lack of <br />development in the East Bank was not anyone's fault, but rather the result of the Great <br />Recession. He concluded that, with the help of experts, a better compromise could be arrived at <br />regarding the PUD. <br />Councilmember Tim Scott stated that it was a travesty that the process had gone on for so long. <br />He stated that there would be talks with DCI and the Mayor's Office. He stated that after eight <br />(8) years, nothing has come out of the East Bank Plan. Part of the problem, he explained, was <br />that he did not see the east and west of the river as distinct but the plan did. He stated that though <br />there existed a general urge to change South Bend, there has often been a buck against change <br />25 <br />
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.