02-13-17 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 13, 2017 Those wishing to speak in opposition to the bill: Jerry Noskowski, 1113 North Elliott Street, South Bend, IN, stal d that, while he welcomed the changes that the petitioner has made, he was still opposed to the project for several reasons. He stated that there was already a dollar store down the street and tE at he and fellow neighbors consider another one fourteen (14) blocks away unnecessary. He worried that there would be a trash problem, given past experiences as well as the fact that the e was bound to be a lot of pedestrian traffic in the area. He stated that it was admirable that the petitioner was willing to build a sidewalk along the property, but Mr. Noskowski pointed DUt that the entire south side of Lincolnway has no sidewalks, and therefore the petitioner is proposing a sidewalk island. He stated that though that area is not conducive to pedestrian traffic this project will attract it. He stated that the project would be built on a piece of property thati. lopes down toward the back. He wondered what the petitioner would do to prevent that hill or any erosion from contributing to runoff from the property. He asked if the neighbors to the south of the property knew they would have a retention basin behind their homes, and how that would be protected from the children who live in the neighborhood. He wanted to also know what ligl ing arrangement was planned. Mr. Noskowski stated, I think we can do better. He stated that this development was being crammed into a place where it does not belong. He suggested to ling the bill until variance issues were resolved. Mary Bueno, 3621 Elwood Avenue, South Bend, IN, stated she 'ved north of the development, directly across the street from it. Ms. Bueno stated that she had t ie same issues with the proposed sidewalk. She stated that she did not feel the building as a good fit for the lot, as it was oriented sideways on the lot instead of fronting. She also ha I worried about how this would affect Volcano Restaurant. She offered that a potentially more rc sonable place to establish the store would be on the corner of Ardmore Trail and Bendix Drive. Ms. Bueno stated that her neighborhood was quiet and rather absent of crime. She stated, I just would not like to see some element of crime being brought forward to the north that might riot otherwise be drawn to that area, with this kind of development. She stated that she would p fer to see a locally owned business be established in the neighborhood instead of a corpora e entity. Tonya Roman, 3701 Lincolnway West, South Bend, IN, stated tI at she lived across from Volcano Restaurant. Ms. Roman stated that she was opposed to flus development, further stating, Dollar General... their stores have a tradition of being unkempt. he stated that, on the other hand, Volcano Restaurant has kept its property neat. She pointed out that traffic is faster along that part of Lincolnway, and that the bike lanes are often used b pedestrians instead of cyclists. She worried about the dangers of increased foot traffic to the store. She stated that she would like to see a food establishment set up shop in the area, as there are few options for sitting down to eat; something aside from the fast food or franchise options t r . She concluded, stating that she did not feel that the development was a good match for the n g orhood. Samuel Brown, 222 East Navarre Street, South Bend, IN, stated at he had a problem with the Lincolnway corridor, and that this bill needed to be tabled. Mr. I rown stated that the Council needed to take a look at the corridor and consider what sort of b inesses to allow there to attract more business, instead of letting in a Dollar General or another f 'ied chicken spot. He stated, You have got to make decisions on how to fix that corridor so th t everybody is going to be happy. Mr. Brown again suggested tabling the bill, then an anal is of the corridor. He stated, Put some thought into it. John Wojtila returned to the podium and stated, We are proud of e changes we made in working with staff. We know that it is a well - designed site plan. is a well- designed building with high quality finishes and material. It's consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and it will add jobs and increase the property values. Councilmember Regina Williams- Preston thanked everyone pre Council Meeting, stating that she was glad to hear what the peox Williams- Preston thanked the developer, also. She stated that thl addressing concerns put forth by residents and the Council. She concerns —with the retention basin and the high traffic in the are and thanked those who spoke up for reminding her of that. 10 ;nt for showing up to the e want. Councilmember � have come a long way in sated that she had new . and the proposed sidewalk