07/16/07 Council Special Meeting Minutes

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SPECIAL MEETING JULY 16, 2007 She stated that she and her husband walked downtown the other day and it's great to see the stability that Notre Dame has created with the development of the new homes. It was the first time that she felt safe walking through the neighborhood in many years. Her sister-in-law used to joke around that they lived in the ghetto, It is amazing to see the new growth and with the Eddy Street Commons Development it will be even better. The development will not take away from the downtown area. People don't shop downtown and what is downtown closes at 6:00 p.m., so if you want to go out in the evening, you have to go out to Grape Rd. She stated that she wants to shop in South Bend, pay taxes in South Bend, and keep South Bend thriving. She urged the Council to vote favorable and not to waste any more time so this project can move on. Ms. Jean Hanrahan, 826 N. St. Louis, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she is new resident in the neighborhood and new member of the Northeast Neighborhood Council. She stated that she lives in a home that was renovated by South Bend Heritage, this home is an arts and crafts bungalow built in 1922 by a German Family and it stayed within that family for 78 years, it was sold in 2000 and became a rental and then South Bend Heritage rescued it. She stated that she has become a good neighbor. When new homeowners move into her block, she takes them a flower from her garden and a copy of the neighborhood newsletter. Mr. Johnnie Johnson, 1124 N. Eddy, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he has lived there approximately 21 years and has seen a lot of changes. The old saying that patients are a virtue, but he who waits is lost. Notre Dame is for the project, the City of South Bend and the Mayor is for the project, the immediate people in the area are for the project. He has some misgivings about the project, because right now everyday he looks out his window and has that wonderful view of the woods. But hearing Kite talked about the development and how wonderful it is going to be and how there are going to work to keep some green space in the project will make is all worth the while. Mr. Johnson stated that he has seen a lot of people move out of the City because of the attitude that nothing is going to change. Mr. Johnson urged the Council not to procrastinate on the decision and vote in favor of the project tonight. He stated that it is a good projection and it is up to all of us to make it work. Ms. Marta Brummell, 914 N. Notre Dame Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she is a life long resident, a strong believer and proponent of this project. She stated that she realizes that this project is not perfect, but as a community we are incredibly blessed to have Notre Dame who is willing this amount of money towards a project that will benefit the entire community. She looks forward to having her four young children be a part of this development. She urged the Council to pass this bill tonight. There was no one else present wishing to speak in favor of this bill. The following individuals spoke in opposition to this bill. Mr. Ken Smith, 536 S. Sunnyside, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he is a proud and happy resident of South Bend and a faculty member at IU South Bend. This year IU South Bend has been working on a project called sustainable communities, a way to try and explore ideas for the future that improves upon and builds upon and strengthens the good things that the City has to offer as well as the challenges. He thinks that this is a great vision for us all here as we look at this very interesting and challenging project. A couple of weeks ago a salesman came to his door and asked him to change his telephone service and he asked if there was any documentation that he could read. The man answer that he was not a lending library and that he needed to decide right now whether he was going to change phone service. Mr. Smith stated that he felt that he did not have enough information and sent the salesman on his way. This evening we were asked to decide now on this development and he would like the Council to consider holding off. Twice during the presentation it was mentioned that the architects have the skills to do LEED Certification, but both times were not offered LEED Certification. He felt like this was being dangled in front of them and then taken away. However, when the salesman is at the door, if we ask for LEED Certification, we are within our rights to do so. The neighborhood that is under development is at the front door of Notre Dame, but it is also 14