11-14-05 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETINGNOVEMBER 14, 2005 Mr. Richard Williams, 724 W. Washington Street, South Bend, Indiana, advised that by not reinforcing the single family zoning in this neighborhood will only allow for more conflict and hostility between the neighbors.He urged the Council to defeat this bill. Ms. Maxine Ellison, 1008 W. Colfax Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, advised that the Catholic Workers are not the only Christians in the neighborhood. She urged the Council to deny this request for spot zoning because they are clearly breaking the law. Ms. Ann Mannix, 724 W. Washington Street, South Bend, Indiana, stated that the dilemma of the Catholic Workers may appear to be a simple case of a group trying to help the homeless meeting opposition from neighborhood residents attempting to screen out low income persons. A further look at the reality of the West Washington Street Neighborhood and the individuals involved reveals a different picture. Those who have been around South Bend for some time will remember the problems the area experienced. In the late 1980’s, the dilapidated commercial structures in the 1200 block of West Washington became a center of drug traffic in the community. There was open drug dealing, prostitution, crime and occasional murders in the area. On the corner of Washington and Walnut, there was a liquor store made from cinder blocks with a wood bench on the side where patrons sat and drank from bottles in brown paper bags. The 1200 block was considered a dangerous area and I was advised not to even drive down Washington Street. These problems were resolved through combined efforts of neighborhood residents, the City and South Bend Heritage Foundation. The City of South Bend, purchased and demolished the dilapidated commercial structures. South Bend Heritage Foundation developed affordable housing that is now called West Washington Place. The group also rehabilitated numerous other structures, both rental housing and single-family owner occupied homes. New single-family homes were constructed in the 1300 block of West Washington and sold to families. A commercial area was developed at the corner of Washington and Chapin with a Sav-A-Lot grocery store and the Chapin Street Health Clinic. Middle-income families purchased and rehabilitated older homes in areas both east and west of Chapin Street. The area was also rezoned for single-family homes, which is pertinent to the current situation. It is critical to note that these efforts involved a racially and economically diverse group of individuals. The late Eugenia Braboy, Helen Pope, and other long time neighborhood leaders like combined their efforts with the “newer” residents such as Jeff Gibney, Neil Gilbert, and South Bend Heritage Foundation staff person, Gladys Muhammad and numerous others to get the job done. Many hours were spent discussing what to do and how to go about it. Several of the projects developed such as West Washington Place and Sav-A-Lot directly benefit low-income persons. The neighborhood is racially and economically diverse by design. The area has now become a place that people want to live. There are still challenges, including drug houses and many homes that need rehabilitation. Like all neighborhoods, mechanisms are needed to control growth and to keep a balance of commercial, residential and institutional land uses. Over the last year, the Catholic Workers have purchased or leased homes in the 1100 block of West Washington. They were not aware of or chose to ignore the single family zoning for the area where their homes were located. In October 2005, the Catholic Workers received a letter stating that they were violating the zoning laws. In November of 2005, they discussed their project with the Near West Side Neighborhood Association. At that meeting, the Catholic Workers agreed to come back to the group with a plan to for the use of their buildings. They could reduce the number of residents living in the houses or apply for a zoning variance. However, the Catholic Workers did not bring back a plan and did not file a request for a zoning variance. They continued to use their buildings in violation of the zoning and without any approval or negotiation with the neighborhood. This continued use of the buildings in violation of the zoning has caused issues: 1. Homeless individuals are disturbing neighbors by asking for food and money, urinating in bushes and generally not acting in a neighborly manner. Open violation of the zoning will set a precedent that others may follow. Having large number of individuals, living in single-family homes not meant for this purpose will lead to health and safety issues. The house has already had a number of police calls. The existences of an institution that caters to large numbers of indigent persons in the middle of a residential area will not encourage home ownership and neighborhood stability. Besides the obvious issues, the Catholic Workers apparent lack of concern or respect for most people currently living in the neighborhood leads me to question their intentions. Criticizing middle-income 15