Near-Northwest-Neighborhood-Plan-Final-Strategic-Plan-2019

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3 Neighborhood Background The Chapin Park historic district and the majority of the neighborhood south of Lindsey Street & Navarre Street (River Bend area) was built by the beginning of the 20th century. In the late 1800’s, portions of Chapin Park were one of the most exclusive areas in South Bend. As a result, at the turn of the century the Near Northwest was home to some of the most prominent South Bend families including Chapin, Fassnacht, Sib- ley, Muessel, Fuerbringer, and Coquillard. By 1917 more than 95% of the neighborhood was built and the area outside of Chapin Park was con- sidered a quality, working-class community. Shortly thereafter, in the late 1920’s, the neighborhood was fully developed and seen as an ideal location due to access to the streetcar. The area also boosted prox- imity and access to the St. Joseph River, parks, and schools. At the time of South Bend’s peak population, in the Source: 1960 - 2010 U.S. Census and 2013 - 2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 1960’s, the neighborhoods population was roughly 8,000 people. Like the rest of the city, the neighbor- hood was impacted by the economic, social, and cultural decline that occurred following the closing of Studebaker Motor Company and other industrial employers in the area. By 2017 the population had de- clined by roughly 49% to around 4,000 people; during this same time period the City population decreased by about 23%. It is worth noting that between 2010 and 2017 it is estimated that the population increased by 11%, having dipped to around 3,600 people in 2010. The Near Northwest Neighborhood is comprised of the entirety of Census Tracts 6 and 7. Portage Avenue is the dividing line between Census Tracts with tract 6 to the south and tract 7 to the north. The tracts have distinctly different socio-economic and demographic characteristics. According to the U.S. Census, there is a significant difference between the age of residents in each Cen- sus Tract. Over 40% of the population in Census Tract 6 are youth (19 and under), while in Census Tract 7 less than half that, around 20% of the population are youth. The City’s population as a whole is roughly 30% youth. Census Tract 6 has a slightly smaller percent- age of 20 to 64-year-olds than the City, at almost 52% and around 58% respectively, yet Census Tract 7 has close to 68% of its population in the same age range. When examining closer, it is found that that Census Tract 7 has a population between 20 and 34 that is 10% greater than that city percentage. While Census Tract 7 has a population of 65 and older similar to the city, roughly 12% and 12.5% respectively, Census Tract 6 has significantly less with under 7% of the popula- tion 65 and older. According to the American Community Survey, of those 25 years and older, almost 26% of tract 6 neigh- bors do not have a high school diploma, while about 12% of people in tract 7 do not. On the other end of the spectrum, almost 44% of tract 7 residents have a higher education degree while less than half that many, close to 17%, of tract 6 residents have the same. The levels of educational attainment contribute to the economics of the neighborhood. In Census Tract 6, almost 16% of residents in the work- force (aged 16 years and older) were unemployed. While almost 7% were unemployed in Census Tract 7. In 2017, over 40% of residents in Census Tract 6 lived below the poverty level, including almost 60% of the youth (18 and under). Around 25% of Census Tract 7 residents lived below the poverty level, including al- most 30% of the youth. Nearly 20% of the households in Census Tract 7 had an income of $100,000 or more while less than 1% of Census Tract 6 residents had the same income. The housing in the Near Northwest isn’t too dissimilar to other older South Bend neighborhoods; close to 66% of the neighborhoods residential structures are single family houses and over 25% have 2 to 3 units. Portions of the neighborhood saw some of the earli- est housing construction in the city, and according to the U.S. Census over 80% of the housing units were built in 1939 or earlier. The total number of housing units across both Census Tracts has decreased from 2000 through 2017 with an approximately 19% reduc- tion to just over 1,800 housing units. According to the American Community Survey, in 2017 close to 27% of housing units in the neighborhood were vacant. And the percentage of owner-occupied units in Tract 7 was close to the citywide percentage, 55.3% and 57.2% respectively, but Tract 6 had 43.8% which were own- er-occupied. Within the Near Northwest there are a total of 2,229 individual parcels. Of the neighborhood properties, 479, or 21.5%, are unimproved – they are vacant lots that do not have a structure, surface parking lot, etc. located on them. Within those properties, there are 106 parcels which have been determined to be uncar- ed for vacant lots – meaning that the owner doesn’t maintain the property, so Code Enforcement has a continuous enforcement order to keep the property mowed and/or the owner hasn’t paid property taxes resulting in the property going on the County Tax Sale. These 106 properties have a negative influence on the neighborhood. - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2017 Neighborhood Population 1960 -2017 Source: 2013 - 2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Estimate Percent Estimate Percent Estimate Percent Total Population 2,374 1,689 101,928 19 years and younger 985 41.5%342 20.2%29,964 29.4% 20 to 64 years 1,227 51.7%1,146 67.9%59,162 58.0% 65 years and older 162 6.8%201 11.9%12,802 12.6% Near Northwest Population Age Breakdown by Census Tract Census Tract 6 Census Tract 7 City of South Bend Context & Analysis