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REGULAR MEETING MAY 22, 2017
<br /> BILL NO.
<br /> 09-17 PUBLIC HEARING ON AN ORDINANCE
<br /> AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE FOR
<br /> PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1237 & 1303
<br /> IRONWOOD DRIVE, COUNCILMANIC
<br /> DISTRICT NO. 4 IN THE CITY OF SOUTH
<br /> BEND, INDIANA
<br /> Councilmember Oliver Davis, Chair of the Zoning and Annexation Committee, reported that
<br /> they met this afternoon and send this bill forward without a recommendation.
<br /> Angela Smith, Area Plan Commission, with offices on the 11th Floor of the County-City
<br /> Building, South Bend, IN, served as the presenter of this bill. Ms. Smith stated, The petitioner is
<br /> seeking to rezone the property highlighted here in red from SF 1, Single-Family, to S172, Single-
<br /> Family District within the City of South Bend. To the north is a recently rezoned property that
<br /> was rezoned OB, Office Buffer, for an insurance office. On all three (3) of the other sides are
<br /> single-family homes zoned SF1, Single-Family and Two (2) Family, in the City. The site
<br /> currently has a church on the property and this also encompasses a single-family home on a lot to
<br /> the north. Ms. Smith presented to the Council and showed public images of the property. She
<br /> stated, The proposed site plan includes twenty-two (22) single-family residential subdivision
<br /> lots. The development that is shown here is a basic footprint of the potential home layout, which
<br /> would be about 1,800 square feet. They are utilizing a zero (0) lot line on one (1) side, with a
<br /> minimum of ten(10) feet between buildings in order to maximize the side yard between the
<br /> houses. The proposed development would be about one-and-a-half(1.5) story single-family
<br /> homes, each having a two (2) car, attached garage. This comes to you from the Area Plan
<br /> Commission with a favorable recommendation, subject to a written commitment that the
<br /> properties along Ironwood and Rosemary have a front door that interacts with the street.
<br /> Stephen Studer, 4101 Edison Lakes Parkway, Mishawaka, IN, served on behalf of the petitioner
<br /> of this bill. Mr. Studer stated, We come to you this evening seeking a rezoning of a three (3) acre
<br /> lot from SF1 to SF2. The lot is currently vacant, and the church on it has moved and will be
<br /> demolished in due time. Mr. Studer directed the members of the Council to booklets he had
<br /> presented them, instructing them to regard the key facts contained within. He stated, A lot of
<br /> times, when developers have a project, even if they fully believe in the project, they move
<br /> forward without dealing with and consulting with the neighborhood. In this particular case,we
<br /> have had two (2) large-scale community meetings. Both parties have compromised significantly.
<br /> Mr. Studer explained that when the developers started out, they were looking at thirty-nine (39)
<br /> townhomes. After meeting with the residents of the area,they agreed that this was too crowded.
<br /> He stated, We reduced the thirty-nine(39) townhomes to twenty-two (22) single-family homes.
<br /> We also increased the open space by fifty-five percent(55%), going from twenty-nine percent
<br /> (29%) to nearly half. Forty-five percent(45%)will now be open space. Also, after the second
<br /> meeting, and after the Area Plan Commission met and gave us a very favorable recommendation,
<br /> one (1) of the commitments we agreed to was to change the streetscape facing Ironwood and
<br /> Rosemary. Mr. Studer informed the Council that the last page of the booklet showed what that
<br /> would look like. He continued, As I've mentioned, we have a favorable Area Plan Commission
<br /> recommendation. The staff noted that this project is consistent with the City plan. The staff
<br /> found that the most desired uses for the land are ones compatible to a single-family
<br /> neighborhood. Twenty-two (22) single-family homes is the most compatible use with the
<br /> existing single-family neighborhood. It will also conserve property values. It will be on City
<br /> water and City sewer. There were concerns raised at some of the public meetings that the sewers
<br /> could not handle this, but those concerned are off of Rosemary—in fact, we are going to go off
<br /> Ironwood. Traffic was also raised as a concern at the Area Plan Commission, and, per MACOG,
<br /> there are almost 14,700 vehicles per day that use Ironwood. We are putting in twenty-two (22)
<br /> homes. With two (2) car garages—which is about forty (40), forty-five (45) people in terms of
<br /> vehicles—it's less than a third(1/3) of one percent (1%) impact on traffic. Mr. Studer stated
<br /> sidewalks would be built on the way to Oak Park Street on Rosemary. He stated that the
<br /> Homeowner's Association would maintain the property. He further stated that the developers
<br /> would join the Neighborhood Resources Connection. He explained that the majority of the
<br /> construction of infrastructure would be done in the first ninety (90) days, and that construction
<br /> traffic would avoid Rosemary and enter on and off of Ironwood. Mr. Studer stated that there
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