Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-26-18 Zoning and Annexation o d' N\PSACB x x 1865 OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH N. FOWLER, CITY CLERK ZONING&ANNEXATION MARCH 26, 2018 4:29 P.M. Committee Members Present: Oliver Davis, John Voorde, Gavin Ferlic, Jo M. Broden, Nanci Yokom(citizen member) Committee Members Absent: None Other Council Present: Regina Williams-Preston, Karen White, Dr. David Varner, Tim Scott, Sharon L. McBride Other Council Absent: None Others Present: Kareemah Fowler, Bianca Tirado, Graham Sparks, Bob Palmer Presenters: Angela Smith, Tim Corcoran, Bill Bruinsma Agenda: Bill No. 08-18- Rezoning for Property at the Northwest and Northeast corners of Western& William and the Southwest corner of Wayne & William Bill No. 09-18- Rezoning for Property at the East Side of Olive Street between Calvert Street and Delaware Street Bill No. 18-03- Special Exception for Property 915 27th Street Committee Chair Oliver Davis called to order the Zoning and Annexation Committee meeting at 4:29 p.m. He introduced members of the Committee and proceeded to give the floor to the presenters. Bill No 08-18-Rezoning for Property at the Northwest and Northeast Corners of Western & William and the Southwest corner of Wayne & William Angela Smith, Deputy Director of the Area Plan Commission with offices on the 11th floor of the County-City Building, stated,The petitioner is seeking to rezone the property outlined here in red on the screen (referencing the presentation available in the City Clerk's Office). It essentially makes up parts of two (2) different blocks within the City near the intersection of Western and William,and William and Wayne Streets. Currently,the property is zoned GB, General-Business, and a small portion is zoned MU, Mixed-Use. As you can see, the majority of the area is zoned INTEGRITY1 SERVICE1 ACCESSIBILITY JENNIFER M.COFFMAN BIANCA L.TYRADO JOSEPH R MOLNAR CHIEF DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERIC EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Blvd.I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.92211 f 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK CBD, Central-Business District or MU, Mixed-Use, throughout the blocks. This would bring the western block in to MU,Mixed-Use,and the eastern block to CBD to be consistent with the zoning for the area. The site is currently vacant for the majority of the site, however, a portion of it is occupied by the former parking lot for the Gates Chevy Dealer as well as the Veteran's Clinic. There is no site plan for this petition and no post-development at this point. They would just need to meet the MU, Mixed-Use or CB, Central-Business standards at the time of development. This comes to you from the Area Plan Commission with a favorable recommendation. Rezoning these sites to MU, Mixed-Use District and CBD, Central-Business District would correspond to and enhance the surrounding properties and trends in the area. Tim Corcoran, Director of Planning with offices on the 14th floor of the County-City Building, stated, I would just like to reiterate a few things that were said. A lot of this is just cleaning up what is sort of a messy situation and a hold-over from the past. The GB uses really wouldn't be consistent with the type of development that is happening in the area and the type of development we would like to encourage in the future. We have spoken to both the Baumgardners and the South Bend Cubs and they are both in support. These are both City-owned lots. So, we would like to have your support on this. Committeemember John Voorde asked, Will you consolidate all those parcels into one (1) key number? Mr. Corcoran replied, We will not because we have no idea what may be there in the future. Committeemember Jo M. Broden asked, So the City ownership, is that Redevelopment Commission ownership? Mr. Corcoran confirmed, Yes. Committeemember Broden then asked, Do we know what we have tied up in the value of acquisition of those properties? Mr. Corcoran replied, I don't know off the top of my head but we can get those numbers to you to nht. Committee Chair Davis opened the floor to members of the public wishing to speak in favor of or in opposition to the legislation. There were none. He then turned the floor back to the Committee for further comment or main motion. Committeemember Broden made a motion to send Bill No. 08-18 to the full Council with a favorable recommendation. Committeemember Gavin Ferlic seconded this motion which carried unanimously by a voice vote of five (5) ayes. Bill No. 09-18-Rezoning for Property at the East Side of Olive Street between Calvert Street and Delaware Street Ms. Smith stated, The petitioner is seeking to rezone the portion along Olive Street between Delaware and Calvert. To the north are more properties zoned LI,Light-Industrial. To the east and south, you have properties zoned SF-2, single-family and two (2)-family. To the west are EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.91731 TM574.235.5567lwww.southbendin.gov 2 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK residential properties zoned SF- One (1). Here (referencing the presentation available in the City Clerk's Office) is an image of the existing building looking south from the corner of Calvert and Olive. You can see the towing business operating here at this building with the screening. The southern portion had been used as a towing operation for quite some time. As property became available,they expanded and grew to the north.The petition is to rezone it to GI,General-Industrial which is the lowest zoning classification that allows for the towing yard. They are seeking a special exception for the towing facility as well as a special exception to have more than fifty percent (50%) of the site contain the outdoor storage. They consider the cars to be outdoor storage as opposed to parking in this case because they are there for a longer period of time. The site plan is not proposing any changes at this point. The two buildings remaining on the site would stay with the site continuing to operate as it has been. The rezoning comes to you from the Area Plan Commission with a favorable recommendation subject to a written commitment to limit the permitted uses to those found in the LI, Light-Industrial District, plus, the wrecker and towing service. Rezoning the site to GI, General-Industrial will follow the trends and uses north of the site. The special exception comes to you with a favorable recommendation as well. Committee Chair Davis opened the floor to members of the public wishing to speak in favor of or in opposition to the legislation. There were none. He then turned the floor back to the Committee for further comment or main motion. Committeemember Ferlic made a motion to send Bill No. 09-18 to the full Council with no recommendation. Committeemember Broden seconded this motion which carried unanimously by a voice vote of five (5) ayes. Bill No. 18-03- Special Exception for Property 915 27th Street Ms. Smith stated, The petitioner is seeking a special exception for a child caring institution which is a State-regulated naming of an institution that cares for individuals which the petitioner can speak more on. It was previously used as a nursing home facility. The building would be reused by the petitioner and there would not be any proposed additions or any reconstruction of the site. The site plan essentially reflects what is there now.It is a 9500 square foot building and the parking lot to the rear of the building. This comes to you from the Area Board of Zoning Appeals with a favorable recommendation. Dr. Bill Bruinsma, 3116 Weist Lane, stated, Rite Of Passage intends to operate a group-home to serve up to twelve (12) male youth between the ages of fourteen (14) and twenty-one (21). The young men considered for this home must have first completed a residential treatment program, desire to be at this group-home, and have no other suitable living arrangement that would allow them to return home at this time.Each young man will be expected to be at school,either at DePaul Academy, a community high school, a college, or a vocational school. They must also have part- time employment within the community and be part of community service events. As I have stated many times in my meetings with the neighborhood and business associations, each young man will be taken to and from school, their employment, and fully supervised during community service events, as well as any time they are within the community. The minimum staffing ratio within the Woodford Home will be a one (1) to four (4). The services received at this home will be guided by a collaboratively developed service plan which will include case-management services, individual and family therapy, and positive skill development groups. The emphasis of the treatment will be on developing psychosocial and independent living skills, so that the young EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson BVIdI South Bend,Indiana 46601 p574.235.92211f574.235.91731TM574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 3 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK man develops the ability to live independently within the community. In addition to the group living staff, the home will be directed by a program manager, a unit manager, a case manager and a therapeutic manager. I will have an office there with regional support staff. A janitor/cook will also be hired to assist the young men in caring for the home and learning how to cook for themselves and others. Dr. Bruinsma continued, The caring philosophy behind the operation of the home is to provide normalized experiences to each young man so that he may improve his life. I, and the Rite of Passage staff,realize how difficult the mission of improving the lives of youth is on a daily basis. Sacrifice and hard work is modeled by the staff for our young men and we expect the same from them. Selfishness and everything that represents that lifestyle must give way to thinking about others. That is why the Woodford Home will be dedicated to serving the River Park Community in particular, and the South Bend area as a whole. A follower of Vincent DePaul had a model that he encouraged others to live by: Be good, do good, be a force for good. Residential treatment focuses on how to be good and how to do good. The Woodford Home will build on that foundation by giving young men opportunities to continuously do good by learning who they are as a person and how they can be a force for good in their communities. We have been, and will continue to connect with local employers in an effort to have them hire our young men so that they will learn life and work skills. We will also be reaching out to the community to hire staff who will be devoted to the mission of improving the lives of youth. Committee Chair Davis asked, Is there anything you were able to adjust and clarify with neighbors? Dr. Bruinsma replied, I think one (1) thing people didn't understand right away was what a child caring institution is. For us,these young men need to be supervised and will always be supervised in the community. Also, there will be an Advisory Board. If people want to have input, we will have an Advisory Board so that they can have input. My office is also going to be there. I'll have the privilege of being with the young men. Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked, What are the age ranges? Dr. Bruinsma replied, The youngest would be fourteen (14) and the oldest would be twenty-one (21). The average age would be around sixteen(16)or seventeen(17)because that is the usual age of a young man coming out of a residential treatment program. They are the young men that are too old to go into foster care. The State comes to a provider like us and asks us to help. We feel like having this step-down group-home will help these young men not get back onto the streets. Otherwise, you might find these young men either homeless, in prison or they would be dead. Committee Chair Davis asked, Do we have something similar to this in South Bend? Dr. Bruinsma replied, I don't know for sure. I know the only other area provider is Oaklawn and I don't know if they have group-homes at this point. Councilmember Karen White asked, What happens when the person is twenty-one (21)? What is the transition of that? EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TTD 574.235.5567 lwww.southbendin.gov 4 CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Dr. Bruinsma replied, That is an excellent question. I don't expect anyone would stay till they are twenty-one (21) but if they do, it is the reason we are having them go to trades-school or college and keeping a good portion of their part-time funds in a bank. So when they do launch out into the world, they will have a good place to start. Councilmember White followed up, Have you had conversations with the local educational institutions to see what that transition would be like for those individuals? Dr. Bruinsma replied, Yes, and I know generally that those things are going to be worked on by these young men's case managers. The young men that come to us have other helpers and we are not alone in this. We will never have a young man leave our program without a good plan. Committeemember Nanci Yokom asked, How do you measure your success? Dr. Bruinsma replied, We have internal metrics and they are whether they have completed the program and validated the program. That means completing the academics, the vocational study, the education, the community service and all other treatment objectives and goals. All of those things make a very long list for each young man and we keep key performance indicators that tell us how many have validated the program. We also keep a metric on how many graduate from high school, vocational program and things of that nature. Committeemember Yokom followed up,After they are gone, do you have any follow up? Dr. Bruinsma replied, That is a really difficult thing because for us, we have to depend on the people that sent them to us to give us data. Sometimes the jurisdictions have enough money to do that and sometimes they don't. Committeemember Broden stated, I would like to add that of the 23,000 children in need of care, we are, State-wide,only currently meeting two percent(2%)of that need. So,ninety-eight percent (98%) of our population is looking for a place like this. Dr. Bruinsma stated, The need is there, especially in this area. Committeemember Ferlic asked, Is there a percentage of young men coming from outside the County versus inside the County? Dr. Bruinsma replied, It is mostly the northern tier of Indiana. I don't know the percentage off the top of my head but I would say it is close to thirty or forty percent(30%-40%).It varies depending on what is needed. Councilmember Dr. Varner asked, You said a max of twelve (12) but what would be the maximum?That building looks like it can handle more than twelve (12). Dr. Bruinsma replied, We are not going to do more than twelve (12). That is a commitment and that is it. It is State-regulated and they wanted me to take more. They wanted me to put two (2) programs in the building. One(1)was going to be this group home and the other was wanted to be an emergency shelter care. I didn't think we could do both programs in the same building and I EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TM574.235.5567 iwww.southbendin.gov 5 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK felt this was a good place to have a step-down group-home only. There will never be more than twelve (12) young men in this program. Councilmember Dr. Varner then asked, Is there anything you can still go back and resolve in all of the discussions you have had? Have you made all of these commitments you made to us, to all the individuals against this? Do you sense there is anywhere else to go? Dr. Bruinsma replied, I am being really straightforward. I have talked to everybody I can talk to. Some people I talked to that were against have come over or are at least neutral. Some of the business individuals came and toured the building and after seeing it they became in favor of it. I sense some people will never be convinced that this is a good thing to have in their neighborhood and I have done everything I can to talk with them about it. One (1) thing I always say is we will be their best neighbors. We have done this in other places across the United States and they all say there is opposition at first and then they will be all for you. These young men will be the people they call when there is a need for something like shoveling a driveway, or raking leaves. Councilmember White asked, So are you saying, at this time, that you've done all you can? You don't feel that even one (1) more time sitting down with individuals that you would have a better outcome? Dr. Bruinsma replied, If I've felt it would make a difference, I've done it. I've talked with these people several times now, at least three(3) or four(4)times, and I don't think another time would make a difference in their opinion. Committeemember Broden asked, What would the process of changing your numbers look like going forward? Dr. Bruinsma replied, I would have to go back to licensing at the State-level. Committee Chair Davis opened the floor to members of the public wishing to speak in favor of or in opposition to the legislation. Bill Dunn, 1620 Southwood Avenue, stated, We sat through a River Park Neighborhood Association meeting, at which time, we had this presentation. Dr. Bruinsma is right, there were a certain number of people asking questions that you could definitely sense were in opposition as other questions were more out of curiosity. As a resident of River Park, I am in favor of it. We have tried very hard to get this right. Committee Chair Davis then turned the floor back to the Committee for further comment or main motion. Committeemember Ferlic made a motion to send Bill No. 18-03 to the full Council with a favorable recommendation. Committeemember Broden seconded this motion which carried unanimously by a voice vote of five (5) ayes. With no further business, Committee Chair Davis adjourned the Zoning and Annexation Committee meeting at 5:03 p.m. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building J 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TD 574.235.55671 www.southbendin.gov 6 CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK TjiQd,ee Chair EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TTD574.235.5567 I www.southbendin.gov 7