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REGULAR MEETING March 11, 2019
<br /> comes, the more we can, you know, nail it down in the various boards and commissions. The
<br /> better, I think,it will come to us basically ready to go. I think the smoothness of that process really
<br /> does benefit the entire community and it makes it understandable what you can do, where you can
<br /> do, how you can do and the timeframe you can do it. I think that will benefit us entirely as a
<br /> community.
<br /> Councilmember Jo M. Broden continued, So, having said that, the question about the budget
<br /> impact on this. I think with better tools, for instance the ordinance, and proper staffing that is on
<br /> the ground working with us day-to-day and we have more flexibility at the City-level, I just think
<br /> it will open up investment opportunities that will be appropriate investment opportunities. And,
<br /> therefore, good for the City of South Bend and good down to the fine-grade level of the
<br /> neighborhood. So, I love all the changes that have been made to this and I guess I'm just saying
<br /> I'm a convert and I look forward to the next whatever months to really get down to the bigger
<br /> pieces of this ordinance itself.
<br /> Councilmember Jake Teshka stated, I think I was the one (1) that originally brought up the
<br /> financial impact of this,right? Tim, thank you for answering that question first(Pt)of all. Second
<br /> (21'1) of all, I think, in light of this broader explanation of expanding and streamlining what we are
<br /> doing here and retooling the ordinance, if our only argument would be to have South Bend have a
<br /> say, South Bend has a say on this body. I also would have been a no-vote but now I believe in it
<br /> just because of the increased efficiencies. I just wanted to point that out because I brought it up.
<br /> Councilmember Karen White stated, I would just like to thank the Office of Community
<br /> Investment and their staff for really working through the issues and for listening to the Council
<br /> and others as well. This is a great example, in terms of starting the process, through the budget
<br /> hearings. This process started, I want to say the spring and summer of 2018. I am very grateful we
<br /> are at this point that we are making changes for the best. At the end of the process, and as we
<br /> prepare for the month of September,we will have a product that has been fully vetted and a product
<br /> that will serve the citizens of the City of South Bend and our developers. I want to make sure,
<br /> though, through the Committee discussion this afternoon, I raised a concern about oversight and
<br /> enforcement and following through with the written commitments. I would like to have a
<br /> discussion with some members of Community Investment but also with the Council so that we can
<br /> have a better sense of what happens after we have taken action. At this point I'm very grateful and
<br /> I really do like the work that you've done thus far.
<br /> Councilmember Oliver Davis stated, Finally, I would like to just say I'm grateful that we slowed
<br /> down this process. It was my recommendation last year in the budget process to delay this part of
<br /> it. Now you see why I requested that. Because, to have gone through the way we were going to go
<br /> through, would not have, I believe, resulted in this kind of discussion to look at the pros and cons
<br /> and help finetune everything that was being put in place. So, I do believe it is a better plan than
<br /> what we had before us back in October and I am grateful for that.
<br /> Councilmember Tim Scott stated, I've been all for this from the very start. There are too many
<br /> times we've had either zoning or APC from the county level come to us that didn't really fit and
<br /> this body has actually ruled against. There are cutting-edge things happening in this City and it is
<br /> no disrespect to anybody in the county or Mishawaka, Lakeville or anywhere else, but there are a
<br /> lot of things happening in the City that are going to move this City forward. Just in my
<br /> neighborhood alone there are plans for even tiny houses and zero (0) energy efficient homes,
<br /> compact homes, and then other entities in the City that we haven't seen in a long time. I had a
<br /> gentleman on the APC that didn't understand a restaurant can exist in a neighborhood where there
<br /> is street parking and you don't need the slab parking you have in Mishawaka. You go to a lot of
<br /> cities, I go back home to St. Louis and there are plenty of wonderful restaurants tucked into
<br /> neighborhoods. It adds character and life to those neighborhoods. Those are some of the things
<br /> Mr. Corcoran is doing, Mr. Ford had vision for it prior to that, Mike Divita, it is amazing what is
<br /> going on. NNN right now has forty (40) citizens giving feedback on things they want to see. Mr.
<br /> Divita and a lawyer are sitting there to write code that makes sense for this City. It might not fit
<br /> for Lakeville,or Mishawaka,or somewhere else in the county.But,there is that centralized thought
<br /> and focus. I do believe the customer service will even be better. A lot of this is changing in the
<br /> country and we are just now catching up to it.
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