Substitute Bill 15-19 CBD Zoning Ordinance Amendment

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My name is Julia McKenna and I live at 410 Peashway Street in South Bend, IN 46617. Although I am not able to be at the meeting today(07-08-2019) I would love to share my thoughts regarding SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. 15- 19. Earlier this year, I spent over six hours discussing climate change recovery here with the Common Council. Something that I hoped to clarify with the South Bend Climate Champions and Common Council in these meetings is how crucial it is to approach sustainability from all angles of government and policy. Somewhat hidden within this Substitute Bill is the following statement: "Minimum Yard and Setback from any lot line along the St. Joseph River or East Race—Fifteen (15) feet."This provision would require developers to preserve natural access to and viewing along the riverbank, something which is critical to our natural ecosystem and image as a developing community along the river. However short, this statement is directly tied to the issues of our watershed and our environment. So much of sustainability stems from placemaking and creating a community where citizens can flourish in beauty and in nature. Our commitment to bigger projects like climate change mitigation and adaptation comes from smaller commitments to things like the mandated preservation of the St. Joseph riverfront. Children who grow up in communities that consider the environmental impacts of all decisions, regardless of context,will in turn learn to consider sustainability in their daily lives as well. I strongly urge the Common Council to adopt SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. 15- 19 today to reaffirm our commitment to sustainability as a community. Progress comes through attention to detail, and this is a detail I highly support.