Redevelopment Commission Agenda & Packet 05.14.26 Revised

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CITY OF SOUTH BEND REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING – April 23, 2026 Page | 4 Caitlin Wyant, Project Engineer with Public Works, presenting a request from the South Side TIF for the Ireland Road Sidewalk Connector Project located along Ireland Road near the intersection with Ironwood. For reference, the CVS is located at the corner, and the Irish Hills Apartments. The proposed sidewalk and storm sewer improvements would extend the existing sidewalk on the CVS property and connect it to the existing sidewalk near Irish Hills Drive. The project includes new sidewalk, curb, and a storm sewer extension along Ireland Road between the CVS site and the intersection with Irish Hills Drive. Based on estimates provided by our consulting engineer, including a 20 percent contingency, the total construction cost is approximately $525,000. City staff and residents have observed pedestrians walking along the roadway due to excessive vegetation in the public right-of-way. Additionally, prior to annexation into the city when the Irish Hills development was constructed, this area included a roadside ditch along Ireland Road that has since been filled and not well maintained, resulting in drainage issues during rainfall events. As shown in the lower image, runoff from the Irish Hills Apartments outfall has caused erosion and pooling within the right-of-way. Today, Public Works is requesting $400,000 for construction of this project. If approved, we anticipate the project would be awarded in late summer, with construction beginning in early fall and lasting approximately four to six weeks. Secretary Wax asked about who owns the connecting properties and Ms. Wyant stated Drive and Shine owns the plaza and Edward Rose is the property management company for Irish Hills and has made them aware of the project however, there aren’t expectations to require them to help fund the project due to it being in the public right-of-way. Commissioner Gooden-Rodgers asked why the adjacent property owners or developers are not contributing funds to this project and is this the only area in the city in this condition, or was this location specifically selected? First, Ms. Wyant stated that this need was identified by Public Works several years ago and has remained unfunded on our capital needs list. There is no indication of pending development or redevelopment in this area, so a private contribution would not typically be expected. As a result, Public Works is moving forward with constructing the sidewalk. Second, this is one of the few remaining areas without existing sidewalk and is separate from the residential curb and sidewalk program. While it is an exception, it does not preclude similar projects elsewhere in the future.