Housing developers looking for prime riverfront property in South Bend will soon have two new sites to consider.
Both properties have long been home to nonprofits but have fallen into the city’s hands in recent years. 1201 Northside Boulevard was home to the YMCA, while 403 E. Madison St. was used by Oaklawn, the mental health agency that took over the former Madison Center campus.
The city last April acquired the YMCA building and recently demolished it, in a property swap that brought the Y to its new downtown location in the Leighton Healthplex. The city bought the Oaklawn building in November. Oaklawn has moved its services to its other buildings on the campus.
The city sees both sites as prime redevelopment opportunities. At its meeting Thursday the redevelopment commission will consider seeking bids from developers. They’ll need to pay at least $1.5 million for the 3-acre Oaklawn site and $576,000 for the former YMCA site.
The commission will only consider projects that comply with both properties’ zoning. Bids for both must be submitted by May 22, and they’ll be opened at the commission’s meeting that day.
