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11-14-05 Council Meeting Minutes
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11-14-05 Council Meeting Minutes
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City Council - City Clerk
City Counci - Date
11/14/2005
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REGULAR MEETINGNOVEMBER 14, 2005 <br />Mr. Richard Williams, 724 W. Washington Street, South Bend, Indiana, advised that by <br />not reinforcing the single family zoning in this neighborhood will only allow for more <br />conflict and hostility between the neighbors.He urged the Council to defeat this bill. <br />Ms. Maxine Ellison, 1008 W. Colfax Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, advised that the <br />Catholic Workers are not the only Christians in the neighborhood. She urged the Council <br />to deny this request for spot zoning because they are clearly breaking the law. <br />Ms. Ann Mannix, 724 W. Washington Street, South Bend, Indiana, stated that the <br />dilemma of the Catholic Workers may appear to be a simple case of a group trying to <br />help the homeless meeting opposition from neighborhood residents attempting to screen <br />out low income persons. A further look at the reality of the West Washington Street <br />Neighborhood and the individuals involved reveals a different picture. Those who have <br />been around South Bend for some time will remember the problems the area experienced. <br />In the late 1980’s, the dilapidated commercial structures in the 1200 block of West <br />Washington became a center of drug traffic in the community. There was open drug <br />dealing, prostitution, crime and occasional murders in the area. On the corner of <br />Washington and Walnut, there was a liquor store made from cinder blocks with a wood <br />bench on the side where patrons sat and drank from bottles in brown paper bags. The <br />1200 block was considered a dangerous area and I was advised not to even drive down <br />Washington Street. These problems were resolved through combined efforts of <br />neighborhood residents, the City and South Bend Heritage Foundation. The City of <br />South Bend, purchased and demolished the dilapidated commercial structures. South <br />Bend Heritage Foundation developed affordable housing that is now called West <br />Washington Place. The group also rehabilitated numerous other structures, both rental <br />housing and single-family owner occupied homes. New single-family homes were <br />constructed in the 1300 block of West Washington and sold to families. A commercial <br />area was developed at the corner of Washington and Chapin with a Sav-A-Lot grocery <br />store and the Chapin Street Health Clinic. Middle-income families purchased and <br />rehabilitated older homes in areas both east and west of Chapin Street. The area was also <br />rezoned for single-family homes, which is pertinent to the current situation. It is critical <br />to note that these efforts involved a racially and economically diverse group of <br />individuals. The late Eugenia Braboy, Helen Pope, and other long time neighborhood <br />leaders like combined their efforts with the “newer” residents such as Jeff Gibney, Neil <br />Gilbert, and South Bend Heritage Foundation staff person, Gladys Muhammad and <br />numerous others to get the job done. Many hours were spent discussing what to do and <br />how to go about it. Several of the projects developed such as West Washington Place and <br />Sav-A-Lot directly benefit low-income persons. The neighborhood is racially and <br />economically diverse by design. The area has now become a place that people want to <br />live. There are still challenges, including drug houses and many homes that need <br />rehabilitation. Like all neighborhoods, mechanisms are needed to control growth and to <br />keep a balance of commercial, residential and institutional land uses. Over the last year, <br />the Catholic Workers have purchased or leased homes in the 1100 block of West <br />Washington. They were not aware of or chose to ignore the single family zoning for the <br />area where their homes were located. In October 2005, the Catholic Workers received a <br />letter stating that they were violating the zoning laws. In November of 2005, they <br />discussed their project with the Near West Side Neighborhood Association. At that <br />meeting, the Catholic Workers agreed to come back to the group with a plan to for the <br />use of their buildings. They could reduce the number of residents living in the houses or <br />apply for a zoning variance. However, the Catholic Workers did not bring back a plan <br />and did not file a request for a zoning variance. They continued to use their buildings in <br />violation of the zoning and without any approval or negotiation with the neighborhood. <br />This continued use of the buildings in violation of the zoning has caused issues: 1. <br />Homeless individuals are disturbing neighbors by asking for food and money, urinating <br />in bushes and generally not acting in a neighborly manner. Open violation of the zoning <br />will set a precedent that others may follow. Having large number of individuals, living in <br />single-family homes not meant for this purpose will lead to health and safety issues. The <br />house has already had a number of police calls. The existences of an institution that <br />caters to large numbers of indigent persons in the middle of a residential area will not <br />encourage home ownership and neighborhood stability. Besides the obvious issues, the <br />Catholic Workers apparent lack of concern or respect for most people currently living in <br />the neighborhood leads me to question their intentions. Criticizing middle-income <br />15 <br /> <br />
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