[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6157996,"mediaKeyId","5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6","parentId",5462255,"title","Petitioner seeks Urban Flex rezoning for long-vacant West Colfax house; neighbors raise concerns","audioSeconds",1534,"startMs",2879000,"endMs",4413000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6&start=2879&end=4413","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6/thumbnail_2879000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6157996/South-Bend-City/St-Joseph-County/Indiana/Petitioner-seeks-Urban-Flex-rezoning-for-long-vacant-West-Colfax-house-neighbors-raise-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6157996-a6d43cacf53807eb25511ea86e74ed5a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176636&Signature=RXm0x8WLCv0bXhYNOwycBce87Odcnhya4EgHWBTLWdBUIcSJRkraagaR8KO1LHByuc3cnGReMgeqGb7-h01vwRG2FPhi2ts~B5l43Ole5IQidOk0WcysBAkSt440MozqZEWHEr5ArEuIMaSQjLD0Iw8XcV-On7KtsBIZ37j3CSJd0p9EvImU4RVN28ICvBMm67InLclwXRi-oGVIyF5z3xxIjgtc7gpAFiNDVIn8EdOt25DAp-EOYHyCF~aBpE6daKvVidxrtULijb76MzSd0VOHkqbzaCbjmNHVhkAeSDMHI4sVdG5n8jAOnG75RyBhsFfnj~7qsmxw1duL4rg7~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Bend City, IN","date","2025-07-15T00:00:00Z","article","Petitioners asked the zoning committee to rezone a long-vacant house on West Colfax from Urban Neighborhood 1 to Urban Flex to allow small professional offices such as mental-health therapy, mediators, accountants and small professional suites. The owner’s representative said the property had been vacant for more than four years, had experienced unauthorized occupants and exterior damage, and that the owner intends to invest in exterior repairs and landscaping.

Why it matters: staff and petitioners said the proposed limited commercial use would activate a long-dormant property and remove an eyesore, but neighbors and at least one councilmember raised concerns about loss of housing stock in a legacy residential block and asked for limitations in written commitments. Petitioners submitted written commitments that would restrict allowable uses largely to professional offices and personal services and would codify design standards intended to preserve neighborhood scale. Staff told the committee the commitments would run with the property but could be modified or terminated by the plan commission at a future public hearing.

Details of the petition and commitments: the petitioner’s representative described the intended uses as small-office professional services; she said there would be no residential occupancy and no mixed-use dwelling. The written commitments limit the field of allowable uses, specify height and design controls, and narrow the range of uses otherwise permitted in Urban Flex to align the building with neighborhood context. Committee members asked specifically about signage allowances under Urban Neighborhood zoning (a freestanding sign up to 32 square feet is permitted in the zoning code) and whether the petitioner had engaged neighbors; the petitioner said she had spoken with some immediate neighbors but not the neighborhood association and that several neighbors had expressed concerns.

Public comment and outcome: no members of the public testified at the committee meeting; several council members expressed that the case was difficult because the site sits inside a stable residential block near the cemetery. The committee voted to forward the petition with a favorable recommendation (committee tally recorded as four yays and one nay). Staff and petitioners agreed to notify neighbors and to return with clarifications if needed at later hearings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","07 14 2025 South Bend City Council Committees Meeting Recording","oneSentenceSummary","Petitioners asked the zoning committee to rezone a long-vacant West Colfax house to allow small professional offices; the applicant offered written commitments to limit uses and maintain neighborhood scale, but neighbors and council members expressed concern about losing housing supply.","taxTitle","South Bend City, St. Joseph County, Indiana","taxId",3921,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6158000,"Committee reviews ordinance to add hourly review fee for law-enforcement body camera video",1446,112000,1558000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6&start=112&end=1558","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6/thumbnail_112000.jpg","/articles/6158000/South-Bend-City/St-Joseph-County/Indiana/Committee-reviews-ordinance-to-add-hourly-review-fee-for-law-enforcement-body-camera-video","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6158000-8deb9209dae52b4f72a7252ffb39fbe8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176636&Signature=SLsamd~MqikZzIqpSG95ObjRukqHaUxE8C2u~sGsBcAQ0G~aH4YG9Kpso5z055MFD4PAXjWhXyQJo5FbEdTuhtOjzYsn~QPaBkqU7Nb0OPJORSmRjjgFrCc4UR4AHtEqfjt7gSihN~3gC6VPG6jIoN7tqjY5mu4l9020vafpfmqOZXyDpnqLSbom9Mc9brvtERg4PJar8F3CUzZ2ax~4SbT7V6tYfOriDyh6Llm1e2uJE1aiB3E-O~sFmI1FNNEcoxaERwhCKTMABgMi3xGCbzWyYUifdPOZ0lB9pQ68WLFQlgsSqNSjWOdmybJUIQ~t5De8I~BJ1H7JaJDkyjRk~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff previewed proposed updates to the municipal public-records ordinance that would let the city charge for the time required to review and redact law-enforcement body camera footage, and would shift the city’s fee schedule out of the code into an administrable fee schedule. The changes, discussed in committee as an initial presentation, include a proposed $50 hourly charge for video review and a statutory per-video cap of $150 noted in state law. Staff said the goal is to help the city recover direct costs of redaction and storage while working with requesters to narrow requests where possible.

Why it matters: review and redaction of law-enforcement recordings account for a large share of staff time for public-records responses, staff said. Examples offered to the committee showed that redaction can take roughly two-to-three times the run time of a recording, and some complex requests have required dozens of hours of work to produce responsive copies. The proposed change would formalize recovery of that labor cost and the ordinance would direct how the fees are deposited and used.

Staff presentation and context: a staff presenter summarized several categories of changes in the ordinance: (1) moving the fee list into a fee schedule; (2) clarifying rules about certified copies and where certification fees are deposited; (3) defining limits on bulk commercial requests for records stored in third-party electronic systems; and (4) adding minor fee schedule updates such as fingerprinting and per-page charges. The presenter said the city has had body cameras since about 2018 and that other Indiana municipalities and counties have adopted similar approaches since the state allowed charges for law-enforcement reporting.

Questions from committee members focused on who would pay the charges and which categories of people could inspect video without charge. Staff said the term \"requester\" is defined in state statute and that victims fall within classes that may inspect recordings without a copy charge; victims generally may inspect but not necessarily receive a free copy under current state law. Committee members asked whether prosecutors, community police review boards and nonprofit reviewers would be charged; staff said she would follow up with examples and a written list of municipalities that have adopted similar fee frameworks and the fees they use.

Staff emphasized that the city’s intake process will include working with requesters to narrow responsive footage to limit unnecessary costs, that storage costs are an additional driver of expense, and that the municipality’s proposed hourly rate of $50 is on the lower end of comparable schedules the presenter reviewed. The presentation also noted statutory constraints from the Indiana General Assembly and referenced prior public-access counselor guidance as informing the proposed language.

Next steps: staff said this presentation was for committee discussion and transparency; the ordinance will be assigned to committee and return later with the formal ordinance language, documentation of municipal comparators and a clarified intake process. No formal vote was taken during this session.","City staff previewed changes to the public-records ordinance that would add a $50-per-hour review charge and clarify where related fees are deposited; councilmembers asked how victims, police review boards and requesters would be treated and said staff should provide examples and comparators before formal action.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6157983,"Committee recommends approval for private primary-secondary school at Thomas Street site",149,6209000,6358000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6&start=6209&end=6358","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6/thumbnail_6209000.jpg","/articles/6157983/South-Bend-City/St-Joseph-County/Indiana/Committee-recommends-approval-for-private-primary-secondary-school-at-Thomas-Street-site","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6157983-6ad4bf4b1b1adb3d177ac6af19901ec5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176636&Signature=JI~HgL1-unGRabsiMLm7p-6JfN4UJfTI1yZSTmLTbtlyrXRUaToAQtry-FZ3JJFnmg6TACSWScTzdfUmVFOjRa2zBK2WWVXkvsGfMMiaQNLyaubXtq7LB5xonwAYXJBxylhyDGu88OEIRTTD99KCokTZoDH1SEJBT6rLM3F0ClUx4xEECJQc6KcVvvOf-Sm~IwV6kamhGehu6ywv7cLZ66-Sbf7~I92p8mGz5Z~cbgfpJMgS14hB49RSegN5BT~1oB2gdYIevZg~M3zdKcLXcfo7uPhwAz~KctS5UpIufBzanrpkQUzEnJ-nUgsreHy6cB0dYqq40FOtOrI5plf4QQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee considered a petition to permit a private primary-and-secondary school at 1024 Thomas Street. Staff presented the site history and planning analysis, noting that the proposed school use would be consistent with the neighborhood plan’s goal to retain learning and community space on the site.

Why it matters: the proposal would repurpose a site that previously hosted a Catholic church and a child development center and is intended to provide local educational capacity consistent with neighborhood planning goals. Staff told the committee that the use fits the neighborhood plan’s policy to maintain institutional and educational uses where appropriate.

Public comment and committee action: staff reported no public speakers in favor or opposition during the committee session. The committee voted to forward the petition with a favorable recommendation to the council. Staff and petitioner said they will continue outreach to nearby families and finalize operational details before the council hearing.","A petition to permit a private primary-and-secondary school at 1024 Thomas Street drew a staff presentation describing compatibility with the neighborhood plan; the committee issued a favorable recommendation to the council.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6157986,"Committee confirms tax-abatement support for low-income housing project tied to federal tax-credit application",249,6528000,6777000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6&start=6528&end=6777","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6/thumbnail_6528000.jpg","/articles/6157986/South-Bend-City/St-Joseph-County/Indiana/Committee-confirms-tax-abatement-support-for-low-income-housing-project-tied-to-federal-tax-credit-application","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6157986-7eaab7850498aef37782aadf8297a53c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176636&Signature=Es4-312Prl6RaxMwQSCX5JOdJAWbghSheLQewbUAF6j3kfJH8nmMP4Rk9oq13P5d19TQzOQC~EnqCtT7c1g4zfUu9~644J7wHLsTQwlPWJClTfTBPxeZd4PdSJONQ5Fr2spZHdTp4OiMaeInixWUmQ5OTLuiDKkg80WnqrybgGoHrrLgFVtm5hnOF4YOKeAS9lOiZc5xou5s1RmCHHMuFfYsAelD-kkjuZafPTCfd9EtDzCvLKuI909yHH0anYax1ZfCHorFragLgFmQLqKzT5Qxfz-2vSmH8dJiOjiiPm3pRBWJUxBXAdI~lXuDuEJcqjAPF62Gf5ry~fDiPS~S4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The community-investment committee voted to recommend confirmation of a tax-abatement that will support a low-income housing project being pursued through the federal/state low-income housing tax-credit process. City staff described the project site as a city-owned vacant lot that has been inactive for years and said the developer (an Indianapolis-based firm partnering with the Redevelopment Commission) is pursuing competitive tax credits that require a local match.

Why it matters: the proposed project would produce affordable housing in a redevelopment area and the city’s 10-year abatement would function as the local match required by the funding application. Staff estimated the city’s foregone taxes over the proposed abatement period at roughly $330,000; because the site is city-owned and currently generates minimal tax revenue, staff said there is no existing tax base being replaced.

Staff presentation and committee action: Eric Roberts, director of the Office of Affinity Operations (staff title given in the meeting), summarized the project footprint and the role of tax abatement as the local match. The developer team was on the line to answer technical questions. Committee members asked procedural questions; no public testimony was offered. On roll call the committee voted to recommend confirmation of the abatement, and staff said the abatement is conditional on the developer’s success in securing the housing tax credits and on the project moving forward.

Next steps: staff will transmit the advisory recommendation and continue coordination with the developer and the Redevelopment Commission; if the tax credits are not awarded or the project does not proceed, the abatement would not take effect.","The community-investment committee voted to recommend confirming a tax-abatement to support a proposed low-income housing project being developed with federal low-income housing tax credits; staff said the city’s 10% match via a 10-year abatement would be roughly $330,000 if the tax-credit award is secured.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6157991,"Committee votes unfavorably on special-exception for vehicle rental at Sherman/Sherman corridor, citing alley and right-of-way concerns",1188,4476000,5664000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6&start=4476&end=5664","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5462255-d2f3072d971400b1d709e5c276a4dce6/thumbnail_4476000.jpg","/articles/6157991/South-Bend-City/St-Joseph-County/Indiana/Committee-votes-unfavorably-on-special-exception-for-vehicle-rental-at-ShermanSherman-corridor-citing-alley-and-right-of-way-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6157991-bde9f4373230d3734f8e9342a0e0717c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176636&Signature=dP2MFLe~~htjpj~~TI~LVSn54dBCzxrJhXpJzGRZoveQX9f1sPYWiNqtLMZO9LjEFDQI5wQco90HXoJ9g~wLf1pOONqOga5-oaPRgVb6yCIumENsqFfSHdvjOj9mLzWgATn-rtiN-tS~brES6Bee~KH0Q3AiXqdH96L71ECUspjsL3bdY7coJ9eqM966CL8IOMuNafupHoEe1Sjc5AT8t2N7WSSceio0GzFevtPSVFVUAzMjZnoUO96TtPPAbGaQz5kwj4z3VB3CxRQTPizjQho0ukguLLpN~IhR9EqgSsXGSYIIloX7wKftVvECvwJKGYMDfuQeBxN4ttGll5i5hw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A petition to allow vehicle rental (U-Haul-style short-term truck rental) at two adjacent parcels in a neighborhood-center district drew testimony from the property owner and detailed questions from committee members about alley access, right-of-way vacations and the long-term visual impact on the block. The owner said the proposal would be limited in scale (a small number of rental trucks) and argued that reactivating the long-vacant building would bring investment and activity to the corridor.

Why it matters: staff and some committee members said vehicle rental and storage uses have different circulation and public-right-of-way needs than storefront commercial and could change the character of the neighborhood. The staff briefing highlighted that the site’s alley and access conditions may require additional public-works permits or a vacation of right-of-way before certain operations could occur. Neighbors and a committee member said the church next door and the residential character of the block warrant caution.

Public testimony and staff analysis: the owner said the business would not be a large vehicle-sales operation and described plans to limit parked vehicles on site and maintain the building. Committee members asked whether the applicant had engaged other potential tenants and whether U-Haul was the only interested operator; the applicant said several interests had been explored. Staff explained that certain uses that occupy or rely on public right-of-way would need separate approvals and that those approvals have not been secured at this stage.

Committee action: a committee member moved to forward the petition with an unfavorable recommendation. The motion passed on roll call with four members voting in favor of the unfavorable recommendation and one member opposed. Committee members recorded concern about the alley/right-of-way constraints and potential for the site to be used in ways inconsistent with the neighborhood plan. The unfavorable recommendation is advisory; the petition will proceed to subsequent hearings where the council will consider the matter.","A petition to allow vehicle rental at a neighborhood center parcel drew mixed public testimony and staff concerns over alley access and public-right-of-way logistics; the committee voted 4–1 to forward the petition with an unfavorable recommendation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Petitioner seeks Urban Flex rezoning for long-vacant West Colfax house; neighbors raise concerns

Committee reviews ordinance to add hourly review fee for law-enforcement body camera video

Committee recommends approval for private primary-secondary school at Thomas Street site

Committee confirms tax-abatement support for low-income housing project tied to federal tax-credit application

Committee votes unfavorably on special-exception for vehicle rental at Sherman/Sherman corridor, citing alley and right-of-way concerns