07-09-12 Council Agenda & Packet

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,6° T 8 City of South e t Common Council ISbS 441 County-City Building . 227W.Jefferson Blvd (574) 235-9321 South Bend,Indiana 46601-1830 Fax (574) 235-9173 http://www.southbcndin.gov Derek D. Dieter President July 2, 2012 Oliver J. Davis The South Bend Common Council Vice-President 4th Floor County-City Building, Karen L. White South Bend, Indiana 46601 Chairperson, Committee Dear Council Members: of the Whole Tim Scott With the recent announcement that the Summit Club, located on the top floor of the First District Chase Tower, in the heart of downtown South Bend has closed its doors after more than forty (40) years in this location, our downtown has received a significant gut- Henry Davis, Jr. punch. Second District Because we are a diverse, resilient, hard-working and dedicated community, we must Third District Valerie District all pull together to timely address the congestive heart failure currently attacking the very heart of our downtown. Fred Ferlic Fourth District The attached resolution makes reference to the Indiana Main Street Program, which Downtown South Bend, Inc. joined in December of 2010. The Indiana Office of David Varner Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) administers this program. OCTA lists Aaron Fifth District Perri as Downtown South Bend, Inc.'s Director. We believe that the public is entitled to greater transparency of this program and further believes that although the Oliver J. Davis OCRA Downtown Enhancement Grant is modest in amount, that it should be Sixth District pursued.. We have attached information from OCRA about this grant program for Derek D. Dieter your review. At Large In the interest of promoting greater collaboration, we will be inviting Mr. Perri to a Gavin Ferlic Community and Economic Development Committee meeting after July 9, 2012, At Large which is the first date that the OCRA grant application becomes available. In this way the Council will all have an opportunity to hear more about the "Four Point Karen L. White Approach" developed for South Bend which is to stress "creating new streetscapes, At Large facilitating housing initiatives, developing commercial and mix-use projects, and strategic planning for the downtown community". We seek your favorable support of this Resolution. We are requesting that it be referred to the Community and Economic Development Committee for review, public hearing and advisory recommendation at its meeting to be held on Monday, July 9, 1012. We look forward to discussing this important topic which is aimed to help the vitality of downtown South Bend. We believe that these discussions will also