HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-28-2026 Community Investment Committee Minutes
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
BIANCA L. TIRADO, CITY CLERK
INTEGRITY | SERVICE | ACCESSIBILITY
Jasmine Jackson Matthew Neal Veronica Pitt-Payne
CHIEF DEPUTY CITY CLERK / CHIEF OF STAFF DEPUTY CITY CLERK / DIRECTOR OF POLICY DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT
300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT SEPTEMBER 28, 2026, 2:30 P.M.
Committee Members Present: Sherry Bolden-Simpson*, Sheila
Niezgodski, Kevin Upton, Tom Gryp*,
Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers, Karen L. White
Committee Members Absent: None
Other Council Present: Rachel Tomas Morgan
Others Present: Bianca L. Tirado, Jasmine Jackson,
Lari’onna Green, Veronica Pitt-Payne, Bob
Palmer
Presenters: Tim Corcoran, Chris Dressel, Tania Barreto
Agenda: Bill No. 26-31 - Resolution Approving and
Adopting the River Park Neighborhood Plan
(Substitute)
Members marked with an asterisk (*) are in virtual attendance via Microsoft Teams.
Please note the attached link for the meeting recording:
https://docs.southbendin.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?dbid=0&repo=sbend&mediaid=414288
Committee Chair Karen L. White called to order the Community Investment Committee meeting
at 2:30 P.M.
Bill No. 26-31 - Resolution Approving and Adopting the River Park Neighborhood Plan
(Substitute)
Committee Chair White moved to accept the substitute bill, which was seconded by Committee Vice Chair Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers and carried via a vote by voice.
Tim Corcoran, Director of Planning, with offices on the fifth (5th) floor of City Hall, South Bend,
IN 46601, thanked everyone who participated in the three (3)-year planning process for the River
Park Neighborhood Plan and introduced his co-presenters.
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300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov
Chris Dressel, Senior Planner, with offices on the fifth (5th) floor of City Hall, South Bend, IN
46601, presented an overview of the plan. He described the River Park Neighborhood Plan as a
twenty (20)-year guiding document covering housing, zoning, transportation, infrastructure, and
parks for the River Park area and adjacent portions of the City west of Twyckenham and south of
the river. He described the community engagement process, which began in April 2023 and
included visioning sessions, open houses, and multiple stakeholder meetings. He said the
implementation plan identifies short, medium, and long-term actions, leads, and partners for each
step.
Tania Barreto, Planner, with offices on the fifth (5th) floor of City Hall, South Bend, IN 46601,
said the plan includes fifteen (15) project proposals across four (4) themes. The first (1st) theme
is Parks and Green Areas, and the three (3) parks considered in the plan are Potawatomi Park,
Veterans Memorial Park, and Nuner Field. She summarized the goals for Potawatomi Park, which
include preserving existing tree canopy and expanding the parking area near Wall Street. Goals
for Veterans Memorial Park include improving connections to the neighborhood, creating a new
access point on the northern side of the park, upgrading park amenities, a potential partnership
with Indiana University South Bend (IUSB), and creating a buffer area between the road and the
Northside Trail. She described Nuner Field as a sports-focused field and running track. She noted
that Nuner Field currently belongs to the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC),
and the land has an urban neighborhood one (U1) zoning designation. She explained that if
SBCSC were to sell the land, the entire green space could be developed as single-family housing.
The plan proposes rezoning the northern half of the property to urban neighborhood two (U2),
which would allow development of single-family homes, duplexes, or townhomes on that portion.
The southern half of the property would be rezoned as open space (OS), which would conserve
the green space in perpetuity and allow for future development as a City park.
Tania Barreto then discussed the second (2nd) theme, Streets and Transportation. The projects
under this theme promote connectivity and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. She noted that a
two (2)-way bike path was installed last year along Mishawaka Avenue, and the plan proposes
extending that path up to 20th Street. The plan also proposes extending sidewalks and installing a
two (2)-way bike path on the Ironwood Drive bridge. She noted that this would connect two (2)
existing trails: the Northside Trail to the north, and the IUSB bike path to the south. The next
project proposal she discussed was the 20th Street Connector. This would create a connection
between Northside Boulevard and Potawatomi Park through the IUSB campus, extending the
sidewalk using the wide existing right-of-way.
Tania Barreto discussed the third (3rd) theme, IUSB. She noted that IUSB is a state entity, and
although they are not bound by local ordinances, university leadership has responded positively
to their inclusion in the plan. She highlighted key IUSB projects, including new student housing
at the corner of 20th Street and Mishawaka Avenue and a mixed-use addition to the current IUSB
parking garage. Finally, she discussed the fourth (4th) theme, Housing and Built Form. She noted
that there are six (6) project proposals in this category: low-density development on Ruskin Street,
redevelopment of existing industrial sites along Northside Boulevard, two (2) mixed-use
development nodes along Mishawaka Avenue, U2-density development on the northern portion
EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT
300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov
of Nuner Field, and single-family development at 34th Street and Northside Boulevard.
Chris Dressel presented the proposed zoning changes, noting they would need to proceed through
the standard rezoning process and would not be automatic upon adoption of the plan. He
highlighted River Park’s significant stock of single-family housing, low availability of vacant
land, and shrinking average household size. He said small multi-family complexes, such as
duplexes and triplexes, could help meet the neighborhood’s evolving needs. Rezoning corridors
from U1 to U2 would allow duplexes, cottage courts, townhouses, and apartment houses by-right
while maintaining the same height and setback requirements. He said the goal is to incrementally
address “missing middle” housing over the next twenty (20) years.
Committee Vice Chair Gooden-Rodgers asked about Kids Kingdom and the old-growth trees in
Potawatomi Park.
Tim Corcoran confirmed that there are no current plans to remove Kids Kingdom. He said they
will be adding a new parking lot on the north side of the zoo in order to accommodate its four-
hundred-fifty-thousand (450,000) annual visitors. He confirmed that some trees may need to be
cut down to clear space for the parking lot, but he said the City has worked to minimize the impact
on mature trees, and several new trees will be planted for each tree cut down.
Committee Vice Chair Gooden-Rodgers asked if there will be improvements to Kids Kingdom.
Tim Corcoran said the current plan is to maintain Kids Kingdom as it is today. He noted that
Venues Parks and Arts (VPA) determined that Kids Kingdom is not compliant with present-day
park standards, but VPA will continue to manage long-term maintenance of the facility.
Committee Member Sheila Niezgodski asked if Nuner Field is utilized now and whether the City
is looking to develop a partnership there.
Tim Corcoran explained that the proposed rezoning of Nuner Field would ensure that if the South
Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) were to sell the property, the City would be able
to preserve half of the block as a public park. He noted that all land zoned as open space (OS)
must be owned by the City under the direction of the Parks Board. He confirmed that Nuner Field
is currently used as a practice field by Adams High School and other organizations. He also noted
the limited supply of vacant land in River Park and stated that rezoning the northern half of Nuner
Field to U2 would provide an opportunity to address housing issues in the neighborhood.
Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson asked about the status of the pool at Potawatomi
Park.
Tim Corcoran confirmed that the pool is permanently closed, citing declining attendance and high
maintenance costs. He said VPA is building a new pool at Kennedy Park, and any questions about
future pools can be directed to VPA.
Councilmember Rachel Tomas Morgan thanked the presenters and spoke about attending the
EXCELLENCE | ACCOUNTABILITY | INNOVATION | INCLUSION | EMPOWERMENT
300 City Hall | 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | South Bend, Indiana 46601 | p. 574.235.9221 | f. 574.235.9173 | www.southbendin.gov
meetings during the public engagement process for the plan. She asked when upgrades were last
made to Kids Kingdom.
Tim Corcoran said he is unsure if there have been any upgrades, but there were repairs to the
playground equipment following an arson in 2017.
Committee Chair White opened the public hearing.
Sue Kesim, 4022 Kennedy Drive, South Bend, IN 46614, spoke in opposition. She said the City’s
plans for Kids Kingdom have continued to change, and the documents do not match what is being
said. She expressed concern regarding the removal of old-growth trees. She suggested directing
funds toward new park facilities for seniors and disabled children. She stated that residents at one
(1) of the planning meetings were strongly opposed to the Nuner Park rezoning, citing concerns
about higher density development and the loss of green space. She spoke about the community-
led efforts that built and funded Kids Kingdom.
Committee Chair White closed the public hearing.
Committee Member Niezgodski moved to send Bill No. 26-31 to the Full Council with a favorable
recommendation, which was seconded by Citizen Member Kevin Upton and carried by a vote of
six (6) ayes.
Committee Chair Karen L. White – Aye
Committee Vice Chair Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers – Aye
Committee Member Sheila Niezgodski – Aye Committee Member Sherry Bolden-Simpson – Aye
Citizen Member Tom Gryp – Aye Citizen Member Kevin Upton – Aye
With no further business, Committee Chair White adjourned the Community Investment
Committee meeting at 3:12 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Karen L. White, Committee Chair