REGULAR MEETING
<br />JANUARY 9. 2017
<br />Rob Bartels, 760 Cotter Street, South Bend, IN, stated that he strongly and enthusiastically
<br />supports this project. He stated that he was glad that a compromise had been arrived at.
<br />Mary Bundy, 318 Francis Street, South Bend, IN, stated that she too was excited by the
<br />compromise and was glad to see the project move forward. She stated that the project was
<br />wholeheartedly supported by the neighborhood.
<br />Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street, South Bend, IN, stated that he thinks the City will be
<br />very proud of the project, once it is completed.
<br />Willow Wetherall, 701 North Niles Avenue, South Bend, IN, stated that she appreciated and
<br />thanked the Council for all the hard work that went into coming to this compromise.
<br />No one from the public wished to speak in opposition to the bill.
<br />Councilmember Karen White made a motion to adopt Bill No. 16 -89 and Councilmember Randy
<br />Kelly seconded the motion, which carried by a roll call vote of seven (7) ayes and one (1) nay
<br />(Councilmember Jo M. Broden).
<br />17 -04 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
<br />OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,
<br />SUPPORTING THE COMMERCE CENTER
<br />PROJECT LOCATED AT 401 E. COLFAX
<br />AVENUE, 230 AND 228 SYCAMORE STREET,
<br />AND 312 LASALLE AVENUE IN THE CITY OF
<br />SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
<br />Councilmember Gavin Ferlic, Chair of the Community Investment Committee, reported that they
<br />met this afternoon and send this bill forward with a favorable recommendation.
<br />Councilmember Tim Scott, 711 Forest Avenue, South Bend, IN, served as presenter of this bill,
<br />along with Councilmember Oliver Davis. Councilmember Scott explained that, in the last
<br />Common Council Meeting of December 12th, 2016, there had been a split vote of five to four
<br />(5/4), and that at the podium currently were he and Councilmember Davis who, respectively,
<br />represent the vote in favor and against Bill No. 41 -16. He stated that though everyone was in
<br />favor of moving the project forward, it did not come to fruition on the night of December 12th
<br />2016. There was a lot of work that still needed to be done on the project. He stated that a lot of
<br />work went into coming to a compromise.
<br />Councilmember Oliver Davis stated that it was not the Council's intention to deliberate behind
<br />closed doors, but that the goal was to not bog Council meetings down with details, as had
<br />happened in past meetings. He stated that the Council asked the petitioner to go back and present
<br />something that can be discussed and voted on. He stated, So, we did. We worked together. We
<br />changed this, we changed that. We went this way, we went that way. Finally, we came to
<br />something.
<br />Councilmember Scott added that this project takes advantage of the $4,900,000 offered by the
<br />Regional Cities grant, which is on a timeline. He stated that it also sent a message —to not only
<br />the City, but other counties in the State —that South Bend is willing to come to a compromise
<br />and move this forward.
<br />Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with offices on the 14th Floor of the County -City Building, expressed
<br />thanks to everyone for coming together to make this compromise possible. Mayor Buttigieg
<br />stated, I think everyone agreed, coming out of the last vote, that there was more work to be done;
<br />that there was an opportunity, and that we did not want to let that opportunity get away from us.
<br />Everyone— including the Administration, different members of the Council from different
<br />perspectives, and the developer —came together and fashioned something that is going to work. I
<br />think it's a credit to all of them who came together that they did not allow the perfect, as they
<br />viewed it, to be the enemy of the good. I think what we have now is something that is going to be
<br />very good, indeed, for downtown —from an economic perspective, from a neighborhood
<br />perspective. We're very pleased that we have this new, compromised opportunity to lay before
<br />
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