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Home My WebLink About77-26 Amendment 11 - Amending Chapter 21 of the Municipal Code to Make Changes for Clarification and Consistency, to Simplify Development Processes, and to Achieve Higher Quality DevelopmentCity Hall City of South Bend 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. PLAN COMMISSION October 1, 2026 Honorable Dr. Oliver Davis 3rd Floor, City Hall South Bend, IN 46601 RE: Proposed Zoning Text Amendment #11 Dear Committee Chair Dr. Davis: Suite 500 South Bend, IN 46601 (574) 235-7627 www.southbendin.gov/zoning Filed in Clerk's Office Oct 1, 2026 Bianca Tirado City Clerk. South Bend, IN Enclosed is an Ordinance for a proposed Text Amendment to Chapter 21. The City of South Bend has identified a few standards in its zoning ordinance that need further clarification, correction, or revision. Changes to these standards will support a more vibrant, resilient community while improving the ease of use of the zoning ordinance. Please include the attached Ordinance on the Council agenda for first reading at your October 12, 2026 Council meeting and set it for public hearing at your October 26, 2026 Council meeting. The petition is tentatively scheduled for public hearing at the October 19, 2026 South Bend Plan Commission meeting. The recommendation of the South Bend Plan Commission will be forwarded to the Office of the City Clerk by noon on the day following the public hearing. If you have any questions, please call our office at (574) 235-7627. Sincerely, /ke,„(9_,S0lvdivt' Mark Dellostritto Zoning Specialist Tim Corcoran Brian Killen Francisco Fotia Planning Director Zoning Administrator Commission President BILL NO. 77-26 ORDINANCE NO. Filed in Clerk's Office Oct 1, 2026 Bianca Tirado City Clerk, South Bend, IN AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE SOUTH BEND MUNICIPAL CODE TO MAKE MISCELLANEOUS CHANGES FOR CLARIFICATION AND CONSISTENCY, TO SIMPLIFY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES, AND TO ACHIEVE HIGHER QUALITY DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT The City of South Bend has identified a few standards in its zoning ordinance that need further clarification, correction, or revision. Changes to these standards will support a more vibrant, resilient community while improving the ease of use of the zoning ordinance. NOW, THEREFORE, be it ordained by the Common Council of the City of South Bend. Indiana, as follows: SECTION I. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 6 Uses, Section 21-06.01 Principal Uses, subsection (g) Industrial, Manufacturing, & Processing is hereby amended as follows: (3) Industrial, Light (A) Standards: (iii) See Section 21-06.02(f)(25) for additional outdoor storage regulations. - SECTION II. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 6 Uses, Section 21-06.01 Principal Uses, subsection (k) Retail & Service is hereby amended as follows: (11) Gas/Fuel Station (A) Standards: (vi) A gas/fuel station canopy shall be consistent in design and materials with the primary building, , Mid shall have masonry support columns-, and shall be a shade of white. light brown, or light gray. (21) SECTION III. Section 21-06. (4) Vehicle Sales or Rental (A) Standards: (iii) A vehicle sales or rental use shall have a minimum lot size of 120' by 180'. unless the use will take place entirely within a fully enclosed building. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 6 Uses, 01 Principal Uses, subsection (1) Transportation is hereby amended as follows: Parking Lot A non -accessory parking lot for the storage of motor vehicles made available to the general public, with or without a fee. Parking lots serving a permitted, non-residential use located on an adjacent lot or a lot no greater than 150 feet from the subject lot shall be considered as accessory parking lots. Includes parking structures, whether underground, at ground level, or above ground level, in which more than 50 percent of the gross floor area is used for parking vehicles. SECTION IV. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 6 Uses, Section 21-06.01 Principal Uses, subsection (m) Utilities is hereby amended as follows: (4) Wireless Communications (D) Wireless Communication Tower. Any structure that is designed and constructed for the purpose of supporting one or more antennas intended for transmitting or receiving television, AM/FM radio, digital, microwave, cellular, telephone, or similar forms of electronic communication, including without limit freestanding towers, guyed towers, lattice towers, monopole towers, self-supporting towers, and similar structures. The term includes the structure, equipment, and any supporting elements, such as guy wires. (i) (iii) Them «..eight h9ra wiir-e1eSS co cation tower, ��'"` iv 4-v 2,d SECTION V. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 6 Uses, Section 21-06.02 Accessory Uses and Structures, subsection (f) Accessory Use Definitions and Standards is hereby amended as follows: (18) Parking or Loading Areas All parking or loading areas shall comply with the provisions of Section 21-07. Parking lots serving a permitted, non-residential use located on an adjacent lot or a lot no greater than 150 feet from the subject lot shall be considered as accessory parking lots. Accessory parking lots must be within the same zoning district as the lot containing the primary use. SECTION VI. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 9 Site Development, Section 21-09.01 Landscape, subsection (h) Tree Conservation is hereby amended as follows: (1) Removal. (E) The tree is on the undesirable and prohibited trees list maintained by the City Forester. SECTION VII. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 9 Site Development, Section 21-09.02 Fences & Walls, subsection (c) Height is hereby amended as follows: (3) On a lot with a one or two unit dwelling, the Zoning Administrator may treat a corner yard as a side yard for the purpose of regulating fences. The Zoning Administrator shall have the authority to determine the extent and location of such fences. (4)01, SECTION VIII. Chapter 21, Zoning, of the South Bend Municipal Code, Article 14 Floodplain, Section 21-14.02 Definitions, subsection (a) Definitions is hereby amended as follows: (64) Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) means those lands within the jurisdiction of the City of South 13Bend, Indiana subject to inundation by the regulatory flood. The SFHAs of the City of South Bend are generally identified as such on the St. Joseph County, Indiana and Incorporated Areas Flood Insurance Rate Map dated January 6, 2011 as well as any future updates, amendments, or revisions, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the most recent date. (These areas are shown on a FIRM as Zone A, AE, Al- A30, AH, AR, A99, or AO.) SECTION IX. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Common Council and approval by the Mayor. Canneth J. Lee, Council President South Bend Common Council Attest: Bianca L. Tirado, City Clerk Office of the City Clerk Presented by me, the undersigned Clerk of the City of South Bend, to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana on the day of , 2026, at o'clock .m. .m. Bianca L. Tirado, City Clerk Office of the City Clerk Approved and signed by me on the day of , 2026, at o'clock James Mueller, Mayor City of South Bend, Indiana