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Council rezones small parcels in Rum Village Park to open space
Summary
The South Bend Common Council unanimously approved Ordinance 19-26 to rezone four unaddressed parcels at the southern terminus of South Glenn and South Dorothy streets from Suburban Neighborhood 1 (S1) to Open Space (OS), aligning zoning with existing park use, the city said.
The South Bend Common Council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance 19-26, rezoning four unaddressed parcels at the southern terminus of South Glenn Street and South Dorothy Street from Suburban Neighborhood 1 (S1) to Open Space (OS).
Mark Delashrito, zoning specialist for the City of South Bend, told the council the parcels are part of Rum Village Park and have never been developed. "The city's Department of Venues, Parks and Arts . . . intends to keep using it as park space in the future," Delashrito said, arguing the rezoning aligns the zoning district with current and planned use.
Angela Smith of the Jones Petrifinsky office, representing the petitioner, said the change corrects an oversight in earlier zoning: "Prior to the adoption of the new zoning ordinance in 2020, there was not a separate designation for public parks. . . . They were looking to consolidate these parcels to one parcel." She asked the council to approve the rezoning to match the remainder of the park.
Council members asked whether neighbors had raised concerns and whether there are plans for active uses on the parcels; staff said no correspondence had been received from adjacent property owners and that the land is intended to remain park space. Vice President Nuscowski and Council President Kenneth Lee supported the measure as a map-correction to make future stewardship and management clearer.
After the public hearing segment produced no speakers, the council voted to forward the bill from the committee of the whole with a favorable recommendation and then approved it on third reading by recorded vote (nine affirmative votes). Ordinance 19-26 will update the zoning map so these parcels are coded OS, matching the surrounding park area.
Council members said the change is procedural and intended to reduce confusion about jurisdiction and future park planning. The council did not identify any specific capital projects or changes to park programming as part of the rezoning; ownership remains with the city's parks department.
