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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Office of the Mayor <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br />August 26, 2009 <br />11:30 a.m. <br /> <br />Actions scheduled on East Bank, Howard Park plans <br /> <br />Contact: <br />Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 <br /> <br />or Don Inks, Director of Economic Development, 235-9371 <br /> <br />South Bend’s Redevelopment Commission took implementation steps today related to <br />development plans for two downtown-area neighborhoods, the East Bank Village and the <br />Howard Park neighborhood. <br /> <br />The Redevelopment Commission will begin the process of adopting the master plan and <br />expanding the designated redevelopment area for the Howard Park neighborhood. In <br />addition, it will consider steps to expand the downtown Tax Increment Financing district <br />in order to make redevelopment projects in the Howard Park neighborhood eligible for <br />TIF funding. The designation of the redevelopment area requires the approval of the <br />Commission, the Common Council and the Area Plan Commission, while the TIF <br />designation requires approval from those three bodies as well as the state. <br /> <br />The action is similar to the July 2008 adoption of the East Bank Village master plan, a <br />first phase of study by Chicago-based JJR and facilitators from Holladay Corp. that led to <br />the Howard Park plan. <br /> <br />Growing out of the East Bank master plan, the Commission also unanimously approved <br />an agreement to sell the property at 305 E. Colfax Ave., which now houses Fire Arts Inc., <br />to the nonprofit gallery for $10. The property could not be sold or transferred to another <br />organization for 25 years without the Commission’s approval. In exchange, Fire Arts Inc. <br />would maintain and improve the property. If Fire Arts should cease operations, the <br />property’s ownership would revert to the Commission. <br /> <br />The East Bank Village master plan proposed that the City foster the development of a <br />cultural district featuring studios where artists live and work along Colfax and LaSalle <br />avenues in the vicinity of Sycamore Street, but sprinkled elsewhere throughout the <br />neighborhood. Fire Arts has leased the facility since 2004. If the nonprofit were to <br /> <br />